Continuing Adventures of the Hestia Familia
by Ca1piggy
Summary: After the victory in the major war, the team had some growing pains but worked through it with some sacrifices from all the members. The question now shifts to what happened to Revis and Enyo... (I do not own Danmachi)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Housekeeping**

Life is good in Orario after the defeat of Thanatos and the Black Dragon. A lot of construction is going on. To prevent monsters from escaping, a barrier wall with guard garrisons has already been built around the dungeon entrance. To honor the fallen heroes in the war, the area surrounding the new wall is being turned into a memorial. To replace the Babel's stores and luxury apartments, a tall building is under construction. All this activity has been extremely good for the local economy.

Behind the scenes, a lot of accommodations had to be made for what happened, particularly for the sake of the Hestia familia. Due to their contributions in the war, they were allowed to continue operating despite Hestia's return to heaven. Furthermore, the guild and the other familias are actively helping them:

1\. Eina is now helping the familia run their finances.

2\. With the money they earned for extreme valor in the war, they were able to pay up the huge debt owed to Heptaestus.

3\. Takemikazuchi and Miach are substituting for Hestia in training, administrative and other supportive matters.

4\. Freya is helping with transportation means, as each Hestia familia member is allowed to visit Hestia once every month for Falna updating.

5\. Two familia members earned personal rewards for extraordinary contributions and personal sacrifices in the war. From Ourano's private stock of grimoires, Bell received Hati for absorbing magic attacks while Lili received firebolt so she can be like Bell.

6\. The entire familia shockingly leveled up after the war. While that has become expected for Bell, it appears the other members benefited from having amazing luck.

However, a more sensitive matter is what will happen to Bell and Ais. While Thanatos and the Black Dragon have been defeated, new and powerful enemies may emerge and Revis/Enya are still not accounted for. Thus, it is important to maintain their strong synchronization and their joint magic use. Obviously, that means that Bell and Ais need to continue to fight together and spend a lot of time together. However, this is not practical if they are on different teams and belong to different familias with different schedules. Thus, Ais and Bell had to make a difficult decision.

At the end, Bell and Ais went to Loki to discuss a temporary transfer for Ais to join the Hestia familia. Loki was not surprised and expected as much. After much crying, Loki granted a 1-year temporary transfer. Loki did extract a serious price that greatly embarrassed Ais...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - The Serious Hestia**

Hestia has been one busy goddess since she returned to heaven. She had to absorb all of Ais' history and data after Ais' transfer. She had to approved the finance changes suggested by Eina and transferred her children's information to Takemikazuchi and Miach. Furthermore, with all the new magic bestowed on her children, she had to research all the new capabilities and methods of use.

For Hestia, the best part of her work was updating her children and catching up with the gossip. However, for the 1st meeting after she returned to heaven, there was a lot of important items to cover within the 30 minute limit:

1\. With Lili, the focus was on the new magic and they barely had any time to talk about the horrific experience of being turned into a plant. She told Lili to work hard on perfecting the magic copy portion of the improved Cinder Ella spell. To save time, Hestia told Lili to get Bell to teach her about her new firebolt spell.

2\. With Haruhime, the focus was on determining if reaching level 3 had any impact on advanced Uchide no Kozuchi. She told Haruhime to get advice from Hermes though she should be careful about Hermes' peeking fetish.

3\. With Welf, the focus was on the progress Welf made in his smithing skills, particularly the lightning charge that managed to severely damage the Black Dragon. They also briefly discussed the new attack spell Welf gained after leveling. Hestia suggested seeking advice from Hermes and Aisha, since Aisha also uses the Hell Kaios spell that releases a shock wave slash.

4\. With Mikoto, the focus was on maximizing the output of the Futsunomitama gravity crushing spell. Hestia also wanted to learn more about how well Futsunomitama worked when combined with Gareth's earth raid. Finally, they also briefly discussed the new defensive spell that Mikoto gained after leveling. Hestia suggested seeking advice from Dionysus and Filvis, since Filvis also uses the Dio Grail spell that creates a circular protective barrier.

5\. With the new member Ais, there was not much Hestia could teach Ais. While Hestia was working on Ais' Falna, she thought of Bell, noise-bled and fainted. After Hestia was woken up, Ais and Hestia did talk about the joint-magic casting with Bell and the synchronization. The focus was more about Bell and if Ais felt that he fully recovered from all the injuries. There was also a couple minutes of girls talk before Ais had to take her leave.

6\. With Bell, Hestia extracted as much service as she could for the Falna update, but then she got serious about Bell's new defensive spell Hati. Hestia told Bell that he should be relatively immune from magic attacks now since he has both magic resistance and Hati. Finally, she suggested seeking advice from Loki and Bete, since Bete also has the Hati spell and Bete knows how to protect his teammates by absorbing magic attacks using Hati. Hestia also told Bell the services she will expect on their 1 day on the moon together later in the month.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Acting like Finn and Riveria**

After Ais joined the Hestia familia, their new team structure makes adventuring complicated. Bell and Ais need to face powerful monsters for advancement and keeping themselves sharp. However, it would be too dangerous for level 3 adventurers to be involved with adventures meant for Bell and Ais. After some thought, Ais and Bell went to talk to Loki, who agreed to having some practices together when they are in Oraria. This arrangement solves Bell/Ais' problem as they can stay sharp by practicing against the Loki familia and practicing against each other. Welf, Lili and Haruhime will also gain valuable experience against powerful opponents in a safe controlled fashion. For Loki, this also makes sense because she wanted her familia to practice against Bell and Ais in Aerial. Loki also wanted to keep tabs on Bell's progress now that he is a level 6. Of course, they all missed spending time with each other, though Bete and Leifya will not admit they missed Bell. Thus the first practice was set in 3 days' time.

With the practices agreed to, the Hestia familia will temporarily avoid the more dangerous quests. Because they lack a mage with overwhelming spells like Leifya and Riveria, they will also avoid going below level 19 due to swarms of flying monsters. Fortunately they found an ideal quest that needed bodyguards for transporting valuables back from Rivira.

They headed down the dungeon after having some Jagamarukun. There was little resistance in the beginner levels. At level 10, they used monster baits to attract a huge amount of orcs and other monsters. As Haruhime is not used to fighting, she needed Bell to save her after a couple battles. When they reached the mid-levels, Haruhime leveled up Lili so she could play a larger role against the minotaurs, silverbacks, almiraj and hell hounds. Bell and Ais took turns protecting the dizzy Haruhime while the other joined in on the fight. While watching over Haruhime, Ais smiled thinking that she can better appreciate what Riveria, Finn and Gareth went through.

When they got to the 18th floor, they met with the party that needed bodyguards. Having agreed to start off in 3 hours, they had time for a quick meal and a bath at the same river where Bell peeked. This time there was no peeking by Bell, but some adventurers came by so the ladies ran off to hide. 3 hours later, they started the trip back to the surface. It turned out that the valuables they were protecting included cadmus hides and many drop items found in the deep floors. Ais was curious about who defeated the Cadmus but she did not pry. On the return trip, there was one significant battle that Bell and Ais needed to take action when a huge group of silverbacks attacked. However, Mikoto actually did a good job crushing several with Futsunomitama and Welf got a lot of practice with his new shockwave slash attack. Unfortunately Lili overdid her use of firebolt and had to be carried back the rest of the way. After reaching the surface, they collected their reward that included a good collection of elixirs and potions.

The next day, they met the Loki familia in their practice games at the abandoned castle grounds. While the practice games would have seemed like a total mismatch before the war, the familas are now better matched. This is obviously due to Ais' transfer and the retirement of Gareth and Riveria. The practice allowed Bell and Ais to have a good battle against Finn and Bete. Mokoto, Welf and Lili also gained some good experience even though they were overpowered. After the practice, everyone went for dinner, but Bete had to be restrained again after getting drunk.

The next day, Lili found a quest for finding a missing adventuring group. They quickly set off for the dungeon and sped down towards the 15th floor where the missing group was last seen. It turns out that the group was involved in a monster parade and suffered bad injuries. They were really thankful for the rescue. As time passed, the Hestia team got involved in more quests for finding missing people, bodyguard missions as well as a mission to retrieve some special herbs for the Dian Cecht familia in the mountains with numerous monsters. With additional adventures, Mikoto, Lili and Haruhime showed good steady progress. Mikoto has gotten used to her Via Grande defense and Futsunomitama has clearly powered up with her level up. Welf has learned when to best use his shockwave slash attack, and actually never had to use his magic sword. Lili is now used to firebolt and figured how to avoid going mind zero. Haruhime also gained valuable experience in physical battles with monsters and became more adept at taking advantage of Mikoto's Via Grande shield and Ais' Aerial protection.

After a month passed, Hestia noticed the slowdown in Bell's progress. After Bell explained the current adventuring strategy, Hestia approved but told Bell that he should consider joining in on some tougher adventures at least once per month. Practice is just not the same as real adventuring. Bell agreed and they then proceeded to talk about the latest gossip involving Welf and Heptaestus as well as Mikoto and Takemikazuchi.

When Bell returned, they discussed Hestia's concerns and Haruhime urged Bell and Ais to join in on some of Loki familia's adventures. She did not want to be a liability all the time and felt Bell and Ais need to keep progressing. Bell agreed, but wanted to support his teammates a bit longer. After the discussion, they did relax the safety rules a bit. Instead of limiting themselves to floors 1-19, they expanded their range to floor 25. With the month of experience in fighting together, they felt they are ready to handle a swarm of flying monster.

The other members also had the Falna updated. Ais' progress was quite slow also due to the current adventuring strategy. The other members showed improvement compared to their typical rate prior to the war.

On their first trip together to the 23rd floor, they did have to fight off 20 angry hornets. Mikoto's Dio Grail spell provided Haruhime and Welf a good defense, and they did defeat at least 5 hornets themselves. Ais and Bell though did do most of the work in Ariel.

With this successful adventure, the team took on several more quests to these mid-level floors. In their last quest, they ran into the Loki familia at Rivira, and a second joint practice was set in a 3 days' time. On the way back up, they had the good fortune of running into the 17th floor goliath. This was more than they planned for, but it gave them a good opportunity to test themselves. Bell and Ais allowed their colleague to take the initiative. After Welf launched several slash attacks and Lili fired off several firebolts, Mikoto used Futsunomitama. While the goliath was not completely defeated, it was severely injured. This allowed the team to launch several more slashes and firebolts before jumping in with their swords. Extremely satisfied with the defeat of the goliath, they had a celebration at the Hostess of Fertility after returning to the surface.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - New Plans**

On the day of the 2nd practice with the Loki familia, Ais got up early with great anticipation. Riveria and Gareth will be watching their practice, and she has not seen them since they retired. When she checked on Bell, he was still sleeping with a stupid look on his face. Having watched Hestia perform her maternal nurturing of Bell, it was always something she wanted to try. However, as she approached the helpless Bell, she ran away at the last second. After she left, Bell had a silly smirk on his face.

When the 2 teams met at the old castle grounds, Bete commented that the Hestia team would hopefully give them a better practice this time. This made Mikoto eager to get a piece of Bete, even if she was 2 levels lower. Once the practice started, Bell and Ais took on Finn and Tione. The level-boosted Lili went after Leifya who was the physically weakest member of the Loki team. Since Lili's firebolt can be activated faster than Leifya's spells, she was able to disrupt Leifya's chanting. That left Mikoto and Welf against Bete and Tiona. Tiona and Welf squared off while the brazen Bete told Mikoto to take her 'best shot'. Mikoto did take her best shot with Futsunomitama. Though Bete has magic resistance and Hati, they only reduced the amount of damage applied, but did not completely let Bete off the hook. Surprised by the amount of force from Futsunomitama, Bete struggle to get free of the gravity spell. By that time, Tiona had already beaten Welf, but she wanted to see the wolfman getting some punishment. So Tiona and the dazed Welf watched Bete's struggle against the spell. At one point, Tiona actually teased Bete about losing to a level 4. With that teasing, Bete had enough and broke through the spell. Mikoto did fight bravely against Bete, but he was simply too fast and strong, and the battle was over. By then, Leifya's concurrent chanting finally took care of Lili even though Lili did get in many good firebolts at Leifya.

With their fighting done, everyone watched Bell and Ais battle Finn and Tione. It was interesting to see the level 6 Bell fight the level 7 Finn. Bell was slightly rusty in the beginning, but as the fight continued, his skills quickly sharpened up. Ais and Tiona also had a nice fight, but Ais clearly had the advantage with Ariel. At the end, the match between Bell and Finn ended without a clear victor. The 2 teams squared off several more times as Riveria and Gareth watched from the side. After practice, they all enjoyed a cookout lunch and started talking about the dungeon.

Finn mentioned that they have not been able to find any signs of Revis, and that got Ais thinking about her mom. Tiona also asked if Ais and Bell wanted to join in on their next trip to the deep levels. Haruhime and Mikoto immediately agreed that was a good idea. The trip would be the Loki familia's first deep level adventure since the war. It would scout out some of the deep levels to see how it has changed since the defeat of Thanatos. Haruhime suggested that she can level up Bell or Ais, and Lili agreed to support them so that both can be leveled up. Thus they agreed to meet at the dungeon entrance in 2 days' time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - A Deep Adventure**

The 2 days before the adventure to the deep levels were busy ones. First, Bell suggested that Mikoto should also take part. By boosting up Ais and Mikoto instead of Ais and Bell, the Hestia familia would be essentially sending a level 7, a level 6 and a level 5. Furthermore, with argonaut, Bell should have plenty of firepower at level 6. Ais also thought this made sense because a level 5 Mikoto can add offense with Futsunomitama and defense with Dio Grail, along with her radar-like detection of monsters. That made Mikoto happy because she wanted to go, but suggested that Welf can take her place in the next deep level adventure. Welf was also happy with the situation because there is something he has been wanting to make in the forge. With the new understanding, the happy team started gathering elixirs, potions and other materials for the trip. The night before the trip, they had a pre-trip dinner at the Hostess of Fertility.

On the day of the trip, Haruhime and Lili boosted up Mikoto and Ais. After meeting at the dungeon entrance, the combined party started on their adventure. Since they did not know what to expect in the deep levels after the war, Finn really liked having an additional magic user with both offensive and defensive abilities. For additional firepower, Leifya also bought Flivis who recently reached level 5, which made Mikoto happy because Filvis has been helping her with Dio Grail. For good measure, Ais did tease Leifya a bit about her relationship with Filvis to keep the trip interesting. After being the subject of Riveria's teasing, it was fun to dish some out herself... Amazingly, the party of 9 had no one below 5th level. After the tragedy in the Knossos, the Loki familia also decided not to send low-level members on deep missions.

With party of some of Orario's most well-known adventurers, it seemed a lot of monsters may be avoiding them. Thus, there has been no reason to use Aerial and thus no excuse to hold hands. There were some unfortunate minotaurs along the way, but they got to the 18th floor without much delay. While having lunch at Rivira, Bete did ask Bell whether he has gotten soft in his adventuring, but Ais nonchalantly mentioned that Bell is now taking a more leadership role in the familia. With that, Finn just laughed while Bete steamed at Ais' defense of Bell. Tiona did pulled hard on the wolf ears to get Bete to focus on a his immediate problem. Tione just smiled at Tiona while she was apply the punishment. They really did missed spending time with the argonaut and the sword princess.

After lunch, the party continued on their journey. As they walked, Ais' mind drifted into both happy and unhappy thoughts. Part of her is walking on clouds because she is walking next to the hero who repeatedly risked his life to protect her. But she also cannot help but think about Revis and her possible ties to her mother...

After descending several more levels, the party ran into a few Xenos, who were glad to guide them to Lyd and Gros. The Xenos have finally recovered from their many injuries and Asterius actually left to train for the next match with Bell. Finn asked whether there has been any sign of Revis, but they came up empty. The Xenos also have not been in the deep levels since the war so no one knows how much things have changed since the war.

Thus the party set off again. With still no serious threats so far, there still has been no excuse to hold hands in Aerial...

.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Descent**

With relatively little challenge, the happy group continued to merrily descend down the dungeon. Before they knew it, they reached the 37th level. Fortunately for them, no one has defeated Udaeus recently so the gang had a chance to test their new skills. Since Ais has already defeated Udaeus by herself and Finn had plenty of experience himself, they stayed on the sidelines. Tione and Tiona also decided that they rather watch argonaut-kun in action. Thus, Leifya, Mikoto and Filvis launched attacks from the rear, while Bell and Bete attacked with their weapons.

Unfortunately for Udaeus, that was more than enough. Before Bell and Bete could get much action and before Leifya finished chanting, Mikoto and Filvis already destroyed one of Udaeus' arms with Futsunomitama and Dio Thyrosos. At that point, Bell and Bete jumped in and finished Udaesus off. Leifya got mad at herself for being too slow, but Filvis reminded her that the most powerful magic takes longer to activate. Actually Filvis and Mikoto themselves were surprised at their own power levels, as this was the first chance since leveling to calibrate against a powerful enemy. As they were watching, Finn and Ais marveled at the group's performance in a rite of passage, while Ais still remembered her fight to the death with Udaeus a few months ago.

Everyone did get a good laugh at Bell for trying to drag Udaeus' sword with him. It was simply to big to carry even if it reminded him of his battle with the black goliath. After Bell gave up, the party started down the dungeon again. As they continue to descend, Finn realized something interesting. There has been no sign of virgas or violas. He was not sure why, but this was indeed unexpected. Is the dungeon setting a trap for them?

The party decided to stop for the day after reaching the 41st floor. They had a late dinner and set up camp. Ais and Bell had the first watch so they finally had some private time. Bell asked Ais more about Revis, and Ais told him about their battles on the 24th floor and in the Knossos. Bell was quite curious about Revis' current status and wonder how many magic stones she has consumed in the last 2 months ago. Ais asked Bell whether he was worried, but Bell said they can only prepare as well as they can. With that, he notice the tension in Ais' voice, so told her to relax a bit and gave her a lap pillow. Slightly embarrassed, Ais was not really used to being taken care of, but it was a nice feeling. But before she knew it, it was 'morning'. Apparently Bell carried her off to her tent when it was their turn to sleep. She wondered if Bell took any liberties...

Finn got more serious as they approach the deep levels. He provided more background on the deeper floors assuming Thanatos did not make many modifications. He said: "Colosseums will start appearing in which monsters are spawned nonstop until a certain amount is reached. The 49th floor is one huge room where the Balor roams. The 50th floor is like the 18th floor because no monsters are born. The 51st to 59th floors are labyrinths, and valgang dragons start appearing on the 52th floor until the 58th floor. The 59th floor used to be frozen but was a large jungle when they went there a few months ago..."

Being the consummate tactician, Finn also suggested the buddy system in which adventurers pair off for safety. The natural pairs are Finn and Tione, Bete and Tiona, Filvis and Leifya, and Bell and Ais. While Mikoto preferred to be with Bell and Ais, it was better tactically for her to line up with Finn/Tione. Because Finn/Tione do not have defense magic or magic resistance, Mikoto's defensive magic can buttress an area of weakness. These pairings also free up Ais/Bell to use Ariel without having to worry about Mikoto. Finn also sat their formation. Bell/Ais will take the lead, with Finn/Tione/Mikoto right behind, followed by Leifya/Filvis, and finally Bete/Tiona in the rear. This will put fighters with magic resistance up front and in the rear, protecting the magic casters in the middle. If Ais/Bell take off in Aerial, then Bete/Tiona will take the lead up front while Finn/Tione/Mikoto fall back to the rear. Finally, having fought virga and violas before, Mikoto is able to scan for them every few minutes using her detection ability.

With all the tactical details decided, the party descend into the deep floors...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - What an Loser Idiot...**

The party continued to head down the dungeon to learn what has happened since the war. What has been puzzling Finn is the lack of any signs of violas or virgas. It would be hard to believe all of these monsters were destroyed. A number of tactical measures have been taken to increase safety including the buddy system as well as implementing a formation that puts fighters with magic resistance up front and at the rear. As they continue, Bell and Ais volunteered to use Ariel to scout ahead for possibles signs for trouble. Mikoto has also been using her detection capability to look for hidden monsters.

The first trouble was on the 45th floor. Bell and Ais were able to identify a colosseum with a large group of 'traditional' monsters like barbarians, spartoi and obsidian soldiers. Finn reminded everyone to save their spells until they get close because the dungeon will keep spawning monster to maintain a certain number of monsters. Thus, it was important to time the spell chanting until the monsters get close enough to be a concern. When the group got closer to the room, Leifya started concurrent chanting. A few seconds later Ais and Bell fired off an Aerial/firebolt to clear the path into the room. As they continued into the room, Mikoto activated the Dio Grail to protect their rear, while Beta and Tiona took the right side and Finn and Tione guarded the left side. The group calmly headed towards the exit on the far side of the colesseum room, as Ais and Bell alternated between launching Aerial/firebolt and helping with the fighting. About half way into the room, Leifya was done casting Wynn Fimbulvetr, which mostly cleared the room except the obsidian soldiers. With the room thinned out, the fighters were able to destroy the nearby monsters to traverse the colosseum. However, with monsters rapidly spawning, they were not about to sit down and sip tea. By the time they got to the exit, monsters were running towards them from all over the colosseum. Ais and Bell stayed behind to fire off a few more rounds of Aerial/firebolt, allow the others time to calmly build up more distance from the colosseum. More Aerial also meant more time holding hands...

Having never been in the deep floors, it was definitely a new experience for Bell, Mikoto and Filvis. Bell wanted more souvenirs but did not want to get teased. Mikoto was happily adding more monsters into her 'radar database' so she will be more useful. Filvis was still thinking about the massacre on the 27th floor and about how she could help protect her new comrades. When they got to the 46th floor, Mikoto was able to add bloodsaurus to her database as a whole herd of hungry monsters came attacking. While Leifya chanted, everyone else decided to save their magic energies and used their weapons. Tiona, Tione and Bete had a great battle, each with 3 kills. Bell did ok, with 2 kills. Ais, with her swordsmanship, took down 5. Finn acted like an old man and only notched 2. The less experienced Filvis and Mikoto worked together and destroyed 2. At the end, it did not matter because Leifya cleaned out the rest. After the battle and collecting the magic stones, Bell was sort of melancholy because the adventure has not really been like an adventure. Ais read his mind and gave him some encouragement "It can get like this after a while. But we still need to keep our guard up just in case...". After cheering Bell up, Ais asked him a serious question "Bell, you know the time with the dragon, when you said we will be together forever, what does that really mean?" With that question, things got back to normal. Bell turned bright red and fainted...

Back at the Hestia familia, Welf was taking good care of Lili and Haruhime. He thought they were being such good teammates to be willing to suffer the condition for days. Fortunately, the Takemikazuchi familia were also staying at the familia home to give Welf a hand. While Welf was helping them feed themselves, Ouka winked at Welf with a smirk. Ouka also came by later on and asked in private "So did you behave? The goddess may get angry..." Welf turned bright because he knew which goddess Ouka was referring to. The two boys chased after each other but Welf got his revenge using his superior strength. Chigusa just rolled her eyes asking "Ouka, are you ok?"

At the same time, Hestia was wondering what is going on from the heavens. It is hard to see inside the dungeon even for a goddess...

Meantime, deep in the dungeon, someone was complaining "Thanatos is such a loser idiot. What a waste of time..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Where is it?**

Bell finally woke up finding himself on Ais's lap again. Of course, everyone was checking them out and Ais was blushing a little with the inquisitive glances. However, Bell has grown a bit and simply thanked Ais for taking care of him. However, Ais was not about to let him off easily and reminded him "You have not answered my question..." Being ever the tactful leader, Finn choked and said they need to get moving...

The group ran into another colosseum on the 47th floor. This time, Mikoto was able to detect the large number of monsters from a good distance, but Ais and Bell still went off to check. While waiting for their return, Bete commented that Ais and Bell seem to enjoy Aerial a lot. Soon after, Bell and Ais confirmed a large colosseum room also with barbarians, spartoi and obsidian soldiers. Ais noted that she also saw a few flame rocks. With these 'traditional monsters', the team used a similar strategy. Bell and Ais again attacked using Aerial/firebolt as they approached the room. The other fighters guarded the left and the right, while Mikoto used Dio Grail to protect their rear. They again moved steadily into the room while Bell and Ais continued to fire off Aerial/firebolt. As Leifya got done with concurrent chanting, she cleared the room again leaving obsidian soldiers and some flame rocks behind. Bete, Tiona and Tione did jump on a few monsters that got near, but the team efficiently traversed the room to the exit. At which point, Bell and Ais kept blasting away to keep the monsters from following the group. This routine seems to be pretty straight-forward. Aside from a few other encounters with similar monsters, the team got to the 48th floor without more delay. There still has not been a single signs of a virga or violas, making Finn really think. The 48th floor was not much different. There was another colosseum with similar monsters. There were also a large herd of goat monsters but Leifya took care of that after the fighters cut down a good number.

The team then headed to the 49th floor, which is one large room that the Balor roams. This was a much anticipated battle that Finn have been preparing the team for. With weapons drawn and spells ready, they entered. However, there was no sign of the floor boss. Finn is now very perplexed "No Balor, no sign of any virga, no violas, what is going on?" Tione added "Neither the Ganesha familia nor the Freya familia has made a trip to the deep levels since the war. Udaeus and the goliath were there, but no Balor?" To scout around, Ais and Bell took off in Aerial to check around the room, but reported back confirming that the level was only filled with the typical monsters. No floor boss is apparently there.

While this made Finn really nervous, he decided not to push their luck and headed to the 50th floor where monsters do not spawn. This was also a good time for lunch . When they reached the 50th floor, it did not seem to be much different than when the Lokia familia last visited. During lunch, Finn prepared everyone for the labyrinths and the valgang dragons on the 51st to 59th floors.

After lunch, the group continued to talk about the strange turn of events. Udaeus yes. Balor no. Violas no. Virgas no. Finally, Finn came to a hypothesis - Instead of adventurers coming down the dungeon, could someone be attacking the powerful monsters from the deep levels? Thus, the 37th floor and 18th floor required too much traveling to be worth the effort? Realizing the potential implications, Bell and Ais immediately looked at each other...

At the same time, Hestia is still trying to see what is going on from the heavens. She also misses Jagamarukuns...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - The Wisdom of Finn Deimne**

The thought of someone attacking monsters from the deep levels was disturbing. Even more disturbing is that Revis, Ein and Enyo are not accounted for. Having seen Revis 'leveled up' to approximately level 7 from eating Olivas Act's magic stone, Finn's thumb started hurting. The Loki remember very well how the leveled-up Revis sent Finn to the infirmary and then also easily stabbed Ais through her Aerial protection about 2 months ago. The question is if Revis has been eating magic stones for 2 months, how much could she have leveled up? Level 8? Level 9? Level 10? Demi-god? No one knows.

Refusing to let their worst fears drive their decision thinking, the team tried to work out the possible scenarios if Revis was indeed responsible for the missing monsters. First, they assumed Revis has been harvesting powerful monsters for the last two months so that she would not even bother with Udaesus. Thus it is likely she has 'leveled'. How many levels is indeed the 100 million valors question. If she is at level 8, the 9 adventures should be able to defeat her. If she is at level 9, the outcome would be uncertain. If she is at level 10, they are in big trouble. With hindsight, they could have all been leveled up with Haruhime's help if they were anticipating such a threat. If Haruhime's boosting group would have been reorganized, Finn would be a level 8, while Bell, Ais, Tione, Bete, Tiona would be level 7 and Leifya would be level 6. Furthermore, with such a significant threat, it is likely Rivera would have temporarily come out of retirement and be the incredibly powerful mage at a post-boost level 8.

While an immediate retreat is a reasonable response, the team decided that they wanted a bit more information. As a result, they decided to send Ais and Bell on a quick scouting mission into the labyrinth up to the 52nd floor. If the Balor was harvested from the 49th floor, it would make sense that the valang dragons on the 51st to the 59th floor would have also been harvested.

For a little bit of extreme protection on the trip, Finn and Tione gave Ais and Bell the Hades Hats on loan from Asfi. As Ais and Bell headed to the 51st level entrance, Finn had Leifya set up Elf Circle next to the exit for the 49th floor in case of the worst case scenario. As Ais and Bell sped forward at maximum Aerial speed, Ais' mind drifted a bit to the last time she saw Revis and thoughts of her mother. Revis is an enormous threat as she cut Ais right through Ariel even though Ais was level 6. It is logical that Revis is improving herself by harvesting the most powerful monster. How much more of a monster has Revis become? Bell could feel the tension in Ais while holding her hand. Since there was not much he could say to comfort her, he just stayed alert in case they are heading into a trap. Though if they ran into a level 9 monster, would argonaut be enough?

Meanwhile, Welf is working on a couple items. With the war and the continuous adventuring, his smithing skills have been lying fallow. It felt good to get some work done in the forge...

At the same time, Hestia is still trying to see what is going on from the heavens. She also misses Jagamarukuns...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Brave New World**

As Ais and Bell headed into the beginning of the labyrinth on the 51st floor, their immediate goal was simple. Check on the status of the monsters. If the situation appears safe enough, then head immediately to 52nd floor to see if the valang dragons and other monsters have been harvested. They had a significant advantage with the limited invisibility from the Hades Hats, but they also thought they had the same advantage when fighting with the Black Dragon. Nevertheless, everything should probably work out alright. Flying as quickly as they could through the labyrinth, they reached the 52nd floor entrance. Without any significant encounters, they headed into the entrance...

At the same time, Welf is still working hard on his items. He has been meaning to make new armor for Bell, and he finally had the time. The rabbit armor has served Bell well, but with his improved smithing skills, he wants to make Bell something that can withstand attacks from more powerful monsters. He has been talking with Hephaestus about a new 'reactive' armor concept, but she has been skeptical if it could work. This would be his first attempt...

In Ouranos' room, a discussion is ongoing about what is going on in the dungeon. With the war concluded, Ouranos felt something was still wrong. Fels offered to make a trip down to the dungeon and investigate with the Xenos...

In the Loki familia, Loki was enjoying wine with Riveria. Loki has been torn up about Ais' transfer but Riveria laughed at her "You knew it was coming. Was there ever a doubt once the lap pillow troubles started?" Loki sighed but there was nothing she could say. Riveria then shifted the topic to more relevant issues. She asked Loki if Bell is continuing his insane rate of progress. Loki replied that Bell has slowed down, but that may be due to taking a leadership role in the Hestia familia. Thus Bell has been focusing more on protecting the lower level members in the higher levels of the dungeon. Riveria then asked if Loki thought it was the 'marriage penalty', which got Loki completely flustered. After Loki's nosebleed stopped, she replied that Freya does not think so.

In Freya's temporary apartment, Freya and Ottar were discussing Ottar's level 8 status. Ottar was wondering if level 9 is even possible. Freya answered "There is always hope, but Bell will probably beat you to it". Ottar laughed and wonder why Freya has been spending less time watching over Bell, to which Freya answer "Are you complaining?"

Back on the 50th floor, the team eagerly awaited Bell's return. They sure wish they borrowed the communication stones from Fels. Finn was blaming himself for being 'overconfident'. After about half an hour, Bell and Ais returned. They quickly reported that no dragons or any significant monsters were sighted.

With that, Finn gave the order to retreat. While his worst fears have not been confirmed, all the available evidence points to someone coming up from deep in the dungeons to harvest the powerful monsters. This appears to be a game-changer and it is a brave new world. It is a brave new world in that an opponent may have come up with something that could be superior to the Falna system. If it is Revis, she is going to be able to level up much faster than most of them, and probably even faster than Bell.

The plan is to head back to the surface and regroup with Loki and the others before making another trip down to the deep levels. With the proper preparation including level boosting, they would stand a much better chance against a level 8 or level 9 opponent, whereas the current team is simply not configured correctly. Finn is not going to allow a repeat of the Knossos tragedy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Possibilities**

The team returned back to the surface after spending a night on the 18th floor. They were in time for lunch, so Finn invited everyone to dine at their cafeteria. It would also allow the entire team to brief Loki about what they have learned and decide on a strategy. Thus Bell and Ais went with Finn, while Mikoto went back to the Hestia familia home to stop the level boosting.

Ais still had her room in the familia home, so she brought Bell there for a shower. As Bell followed her, he was not sure what Ais meant by getting a shower in her room. Perhaps the Hermes training sessions may have had an impact. After showering and changing, they went to the cafeteria to find the whole group already gathered. After Finn explained the situation, Loki also became very suspicious. This may be a game changer, and she definitely does not want a repeat of the Knossos tragedy. Thus, she is so glad that Finn decided to retreat. Now a more powerful group can be sent down to investigate. Loki immediately called for a meeting with Ouranos, Freya, Hermes, Hephaestus and Takemikazuchi. After lunch, Loki gave Ais a quick look-over, perhaps due to Riveria's comments. She also asked whether Bell showered in her room, and Ais said so...

At the Hestia home, Welf was excited and talking to everyone about his new magic armor. His reactive armor is infused with a magic charge that will ignite and resist the force of an attack. Instead of rabbit armor, Welf proudly called it the jumping bunny armor. After hearing about the magic charge, Takemikazuchi was more worried if the armor can blow up by mistake. When Mikoto walked in, Takemikazuchi was really glad to see Mikoto safely back home. Lili and Haruhime were also glad to be freed from the spell's side-effects. During lunch, Mikoto told everyone about the trip and Finn's concerns. Near the end of the meal, a messenger came in requesting Takemikazuchi for an urgent meeting with Loki. After wrapping up his meal, Takemikazuchi headed to the meeting. Welf also went along to talk to Bell about his magic armor prototype.

In Ouranos' room, a messenger from Loki has advised him that a meeting has been called and it may be about Revis and Enyo. Thus, Fels immediately headed to the Loki familia home.

In Freya's temporary apartment, a messenger from Loki has advised her that a meeting has been called and relates to information from Bell's latest expedition. Thus, Freya and Ottar quickly left for the Loki familia home.

After all the bosses gathered at the Loki home, Finn outlined what they had learned. Everyone agreed this is very suspicious and Fels also suspected that this may have to do with Revis and Enyo. Obviously, it would be extremely dangerous if someone like Revis, who fought roughly at level 7, can simply eat magic stones and level extremely quickly. They thought Bell was unique, but he may no longer be the case... They also tried to guess how many powerful entities exist deep in the dungeon to be harvested. If only a few existed, there may only be enough magic energy for leveling up 1 or 2 levels. If there were more, obviously it could be more levels. At the end, they agreed that it probably would not be a large number, or the gods should have found out in the last thousand years.

Finally when the meeting was done, Welf wanted to try out his new magic armor with Bell. After hearing about this, everyone was smirking and thought the idea was silly. However they did go along for the show. To be safe, Bell wore the magic breastplate on top of his existing armor before Welf smacked him hard with a war hammer. The results were however astonishing. The armor pushed the hammer back and Bell only felt dull pressure spreaded across his chest instead of sharp pressure at the point of attack. Delighted with his results, Welf explained why it worked. When attacked, the magic charge would ignite and push back against the attack. Thus this reduced the pressure at the point of attack. However the charge pushes in all directions so the user feels a recoil pressure from the entire piece of armor.

Loki thought it was clever, but commented that this should have a benefit against a weapon strike or a focused magic attack like Bell's crystal attack. She thought it would be of little use against a magic attack like a fireball that covers the entire body. After the live demonstration, the bosses agreed to a 2nd meeting next afternoon. They needed sometime to think over the appropriate course of action.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - The Response**

After returning to the Hestia familia home, everyone was talking about the potential threat. Ais thought it may be Revis, as she was there when Revis ate Olivas' magic stone. Takemikazuchi does not feel there is enough evidence to be so sure. Bell is very worried about what Revis may want from Ais. Mikoto was curious about how powerful a level 9 character would be. At the end, everyone agreed that another trip needs to be made soon. Haruhime said she was ready to support Bell and Ais if another long boosting session is needed so long as Welf will tenderly fed her freshly cooked jagamarukun like before. Of course, this comment surprised Welf, who turned bright red and made Ouka laugh...

Despite the teasing, Welf was in a great mood because of his successful armor demonstration in front of all the big bosses. He was also quite impressed with Loki, who instantly realized that the primary advantage is with physical attacks. In his daydream, Welf is showing off in front of Hephaestus, who said that he has finally surpassed her... Now that the concept has been validated, the next step is produce the entire set of armor. When Welf went to get Bell's measurements, he discovered that Bell may be having a few too many jagamarukuns. While Welf was measuring, Bell also commented that the demonstration was pretty neat, and asked for another demonstration. However, Welf said the breastplate needs to be reenchanted first because each piece of armor can only hold one magic charge. Thinking about Revis, Bell asked if Welf would be able to also make on a set of the reactive armor for Ais. Welf responded "Sure, your armor will take about 3 days. Send her by the forge to get her measurements taken". After that comment, Welf found out the hard way that Bell now is much stronger than him...

Back in the Loki home, Loki, Finn, Riveria and Gareth had a second meeting after the guests left. They are clearly perplexed by the situation, and still worry there is something Revis and Enyo want from Ais. Riveria and Gareth also told Loki that they are temporarily coming out of retirement due to the potential ramifications.

Back in Ouranos' room, Fels updated Ouranos on the situation, and both suspect it is Revis up to no good.

Back in Freya's temporary apartment, Freya was annoyed that another major emergency may be starting only 2 months after the war. Ottar asked Freya if she wanted him to join in the next trip. Freya indicated she was not sure, but perhaps there should be main team and a backup team. If something horrible happens, the backup team would have the benefit of a lot information with the use of communication stones.

The next day, everyone gathered for a second meeting. It was agreed that a more powerful group should be sent down to investigate the deep levels within one week. During the week, they would reactivate Haruhime's level boosting group for the trip, gather magic weapons, communication stones, Hades Hats, potions, and also assemble a backup team:

1\. The primary team would consist of Finn, Bell, Ais, Riveria (temporarily out of retirement), Bete, Leifya, Tione and Tiona. After level-boosting, it would be 2 level 8, 6 level 7 and 1 level 6.

2\. The backup team would be Ottar, Gareth (temporarily out of retirement), Allen Frommel, Hegni, Hedin and the Gullivers brothers. Since the level boosting group can boost up to ten, thus at least Ottar and Gareth can be boosted to a level 9 and 1 level 8.

3\. During the primary team's deep level trip, the Ganesha familia also would stay in Orario in case of a major emergency.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Inconsistency**

A lot of activity is underway to help address the potential threat.

At the Loki home, the focus has been on preparations for the trip. Tione and Finn took care of the magic weapons. Tiona and Riveria went to purchase the potions. Loki, Finn and Gareth went off to a meeting at the Freya home.

At the Hestia home, Mikoto was running errands to help Ais and Bell. Haruhime already left for the secret headquarters. Welf was busy in the forge working on Bell's new armor. Bell packed up freshly cooked jagamarukun for the 24 hour visit with Hestia. Lili was busy measuring Ais for new armor. Though a couple measurements had to be redone because Lili was surprised with the numbers, making Ais a little embarrassed with all the attention.

Freya and Ottar organized the backup team because it was almost entirely made up of her familia members. They asked Loki, Finn and Gareth to join them for a team meeting. First, Finn provided a briefing about the recent trip and the potential threat that may be Revis and Enyo. Loki then explained the logistics for the level boosting, and organized a trip to the secret headquarters in two days' time. The Freya familia agreed to handle all of the work for gathering their list of items.

After the meeting at the Freya home, Loki went to visit with Hephaestus to see what she really felt about Welf's armor. Hephaestus said that she was surprised how well it worked, and agreed with Loki's assessment that it will be most effective against physical attacks like sword strikes or Bell's crystal attack. Hephaestus also indicated that it would be very difficult to enchant each piece of armor with more than 1 magic charge. Loki thought about that but said 1 attack can be life or death and each piece of armor would have a separate charge. Loki then asked "What would you do if he surpasses you - would you give him what he wants?". Hephaestus answered "What does he want? ..."

For most of the day, Hermes has been running errands. He first coordinated with Ganesha, who promised that his familia will stay in Orario during the duration of the down level trip. Hermes and Asfi then gathered the level-boosting group members and traveled to the secret headquarters.

Back in Ouranos' room, Fels updated Ouranos on the planning and then delivered the communication stones to Loki.

On the moon, Hestia has eagerly waiting for Bell's arrival. When Bell showed up, Hestia jumped on him and gave him some maternal nurturing, shocking her attendants on the moon. After the nurturing, Hestia did an update on Bell's falna. She was satisfied with Bell's progress as his stats are progressing closer to his normal rate. Hestia then gave Bell a quick tour of the moon. After the tour, while lunching on jagamarukun, Hestia wanted to know all about the recent trip. After listening to Bell's story, Hestia made an interesting observation. Hestia reminded Bell of their first quest after the war - to help safeguard a shipment of valuables. Bell did tell her that the valuables consisted of calmus hide and other drop items from the deep levels, but yet Udaeus was not defeated on the 37th floor until their trip. Bell agreed that is strange and no one would count on escaping Udaeus if they were transporting valuables. Hestia told Bell that he needs to investigate when he returns...

Upon Bell's return, all trip preparations were done ahead of schedule. Bell updated everyone on Hestia's thoughts, especially about the inconsistency with the merchants who were transporting valuables from the deep levels. Takemikazuchi said this needs to be investigated immediately. Takemikazuchi, Bel and Ais then went to talk to Loki even though Hermes already left for the headquarters. At the Loki home, everyone is now even more perplexed, and Finn is feeling sheepish about possibly making much ado about nothing. The decision was made to find those merchants to figure out what is going on.

5 familias joined in on the manhunt, but it was Lili who was able to find them by pretending to be a rich customer. After seeing Loki, Takemikazuchi, and especially Freya, the merchants were more than happy to disclose what they have been doing. Turns out after the demise of the Ikelos familia, a lot of shadowy characters have been risking the dungeon to collect drop items. As a result, they figured out a network of vertical holes that allowed them to travel through the dungeon while avoiding most floor bosses and colessums. When asked about which floor those drop items came from, they said mostly between the 40th and 55th floors. They also confirmed that they had not heard about a varlong dragon or the balor, but the number of drop items has greatly increased after the war. Thus, these merchants verified what the team learned in its trip. Lots of valuable drop items from powerful monsters were seemingly left behind without consideration for their value in valors. This does strongly support the harvesting theory.

With this strong separate evidence, everyone is even more determined to make the deep level trip to get to the bottom of the situation. The gods thanked the merchants and Freya gave them her autograph. After the merchants left, Loki and Freya went to the secret headquarters to discuss strategy with Hermes. However, Finn's thumb is starting to bother him again. That night, Bell and Ais sat outside under the full moon, both thinking what it would be like to confront a super-powerful Revis. Seeing the tension in Ais' body, he gave her a lap pillow...


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 - Two is Better than One**

The next day, the gods met at their secret headquarters to consider all of the new information. Everyone agreed that the additional evidence strongly supports the earlier hypothesis. Harvesting of some sort is likely going on. Whether it is Revis or not, there is likely some monster at least at level 8 or 9 and perhaps higher. Based on this disturbing information, they decided to change their strategy. Instead of sending 1 team down with a backup team waiting, both teams will be send down but they will be separated by at least 2000 feet. With Bell and Ais being very mobile with Aerial, the team led by Ottar and Gareth will actually be the lead team. If trouble happens, then Bell and Ais can use Aerial to quickly lend support. Then Finn and the rest of the team can arrive with Riveria and Leifya all chanted up and ready to rumble. To give a potential attacker some pause and uncertainty, half the members in each team will be wearing their Hades Hat. After the decision was made, Freya and Loki immediately headed back to update their familia.

At the Hestia home, Ais found herself in her bed after falling asleep outside with Bell during lap pillow. She checked on Bell, who also just woke up. She sheepishly said sorry to make him take care of her again. He replied that it was all his pleasure, making Ais blush. She then gathered up her courage and asked "Pleasure?" Reflecting some gamesmanship that he learned from Hermes, Bell said he has a lot of fun around Ais. Downstairs, Takemikazuchi was thinking about the potential threat and felt responsible to protecting Bell and Ais as Hestia's substitute. To cheer Takemikazuchi up, Mikoto suggested they go shopping for food, which he gladly agreed to. Lili was also thinking about Bell. She is upset that she cannot help because she is too weak while Haruhime is able to help with the level boosting. In response, Ouka and Chigusa reminded her that she has been doing a lot and almost permanently became a potted plant on her spy mission.

Meanwhile, Hephaestus rang at the front door, which surprised Welf. Apparently she came to check in on her prized student and see how he is doing with the reactive armor. The two then went to the forge together, where Welf showed her the nearly completed armor. He also showed her the beginning of Ais' armor, which caused Hephaestus to ask how he got Ais' measurements. Welf refused to answer, causing Hephaestus to become quiet. Sensing that he managed to get a good reaction, Welf changed the topic and confirmed that each armor piece is limited to one magic charge. The two then spent more time on the forge trying different charging techniques...

At the Loki home, trip preparations were already complete. When Loki returned, she quickly updated everyone with the change in plans. The change also highlighted the potential dangers, and Finn's thumb has not stopped feeling funny. Loki had tea with Riveria that afternoon, and Loki commented whether she herself will be keeping Hestia company in heaven. Riveria replied that heaven is not big enough for the 2 of them...

Back in Ouranos' room, Fels updated Ouranos on the change in plans, leaving Ouranos deep in thought.

At the same time, Freya updated Ottar and his team about the new strategy. Seeing that they have become the lead team, Ottar eagerly looked forward to their role. Freya reminded him that this mostly likely involves a cunning enemy who may well be at level 9 or above. After the discussion, their team started training with all the new items like the Hades Hats and the communication stones. Tomorrow they will head to the secret headquarters for the level boosting...


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 - Looking Into the Abyss**

Next morning at the secret headquarters, both teams arrived for the level boosting. Having never experienced Haruhime's magic before, the Freya team was amazed with the experience. Both teams then headed outside to practice together so that the Freya team can get adjusted to their new abilities. Some first-aid was needed after Leifya accidentally used too much power...

Later that day, Bell and Ais returned to the Hestia home, only to find a happy Welf with a shiny new set of armor. When Bell donned his new armor, he commented it fitted better than the previous set. Welf smirked and said that is because he has been eating too many jagumarukuns. Ais then commented that she did not think so, and Welf quickly added that Ais should know... It was 3 days before the trip down to the dungeon, so Welf needed to get back into the forge to finish Ais' armor. He was in a particularly good mood today, and everyone suspected it was because Hephaestus will be returning to work on the armor with Welf.

The next day, Bell and Ais went to a joint practice with the Freya familia team. They wanted to scrimmage to figure out all the details about each other's strengths. Also communications and logistics needed to be tested in live exercises so that minimal time is wasted if the first team is attacked. Meanwhile, Takemikazuchi needed to attend a city defense meeting with Ganesha, who is now concerned with city security after hearing about a potential threat at level 9 or above.

After the joint exercise, Bell and Ais went for a private dinner at a nice restaurant. It has been a long time since they had the chance to enjoy a private dinner. All eyes were on them, with more rumors flying around the city. After dinner, they spent another night under the stars. Ais fell asleep during lap pillow again outside under the stars.

Watching from heaven, Hestia was melancholy. She envies Ais' time with Bell, yet she wants Bell to be happy. She is worried about Bell, but there is not much she can do in heaven. What she would not do to be in Ais' place...

The next day, Bell and Ais again worked out in a joint practice involving both teams. He and Ottar had a good exchange, and he had to hold back from using argonaut. Sensing the magic gathering around Bell, Ottar asked if that is argonaut. When Bell acknowledged that it was, Ottar said not to hold back even if it was against the rules. Freya and Loki quickly came in and admonished both of them "This is not the time for fun and games".

Back in Ouranos' room, Ouranos and Fels agreed that Fels will secretly follow the 2nd group so he could keep an eye on Bell and Ais.

At the Ganesha home, Ganesha signed off on the new city defenses. All remaining magic users with useful attack magic (level 4 and higher) would be gathered for some joint training while the 2 teams are in the dungeon.

In the evening, Bell and Ais returned to the Hestia home and found Welf and Hephaestus waiting for them. Apparently Ais' armor is completed, and now is the time to test it out. Ais donned the armor, and Bell had to strike her on her breastplate simulating a reasonable attack. The armor successfully reacted to Bell's attack, which made the 2 smiths very happy. Welf told Bell and Ais that Ais' armor is actually superior because of Hephaestus' help. They were able to attach a thin armor plate on top of the primary armor. As a result, each armor piece has 2 magic charges and able to react to 2 separate attacks. Bell said he could definitely tell when the armor reacted to his attack and any opponent should also be able to tell. Ais did not say much but the magic charge did give her a feeling she has not felt before. Since the trip starts tomorrow, there is not enough time to upgrade Bell's armor. However, both sets of armor should be all charged up for their visit to the dungeon.

After the test, Hephaestus went back home, but she did say to Welf that he may have surpassed her...

That night, Ais fell asleep during lap pillow again while Bell was thinking about what will happen when they descend into the abyss tomorrow. As Bell carried Ais back to her room, Bell wondered if life can get better than this...


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - Into the Abyss**

Next morning, both teams were meeting at the dungeon entrance. To lighten the mood, Bete made a snide remark about Bell, Ais and lap pillows, but Ais commented that Bete probably looks better on Bell's lap. The red-faced wolf had no reply, which made everyone laugh. Finally, after rechecking communications and various equipment, everyone shook hands and were all set to go. Lili, Welf and Mikoto saw them off, along with friends from the Hostess of Fertility, Eina and the kids from the orphanage. With that upbeat send off, they descended into the dungeon. As planned, the Ottar/Gareth team had about a 2000 feet head-start on the Finn team. No one noticed an invisible figure was following the Finn team...

After the send off, Hestia continued to watch and worry. Welf went back to work on the thin plates for Bell's armor. Mokoto and Lili went to the Ganesha magic user joint training event. Eina cried with all the uncertainty requiring the kids to comfort her. Mia, Syr and Ryuu went back to the restaurant wondering what is going to happen.

When Welf got home, he was surprised to see Hephaestus waiting inside. Heptaestus wanted to try to improve on the armor some more while Welf worked on the immediate needs. It was good team work because Welf has a special touch with the armor charging, while Hephaetus was good at forming the thin light-weight plates that would be attached onto the base armor. Her hope was that more than 1 layer can be added to add more charges and safety without affecting significantly weight, flexibility and agility.

The Ottar team was in good spirits. They are still amazed at the gadgets that the Loki and Hermes familias have access to. They started asking Gareth if the Loki cafeteria also had better food.

The Finn team actually cannot physically see the Ottar/Gareth team, but is in regular communications using the communication rocks. As a surprise, Bell brought along several jagumarukuns to share with his team. Their formation is now Ais and Bell, Tione and Finn, Riveria and Leifya and finally Bete and Tiona. Like before, fighters with magic resistance are up front and in the back. When Ais and Bell fly off in Aerial, then Bete and Tiona will move up front while Finn and Tione will shift to the rear. Finally, to add uncertainly for an attacking enemy, half of the group is already wearing their Hades Hat - Bell, Tione, Leifya and Tiona. As an additional benefit for sychronization, Bell is able to hold Ais' hand without anyone teasing them.

At the secret headquarters, Hermes is staying in touch with Ottar and Finn. The level boosting group members were relaxed and enjoying the good food and good service. Takemikazuchi just arrived and he was getting an update from Asfi.

So far, the trip has been very calm. Other than a few minotaurs, most monsters seem to steer clear of both groups. There were still no signs of violas, virgas or any non-traditional monsters.

Both teams would have lunch on floor 18 but still kept their distance and also stayed away from Rivira. After lunch, they kept descending and quickly reached the 24th floor. An enormous swarm of hornets attacked Ottar's team, but they made quick work of the monsters and kept moving on. Ais and Bell thought of going to assist but Ottar said to keep their distance as the hornets were just pests. On the 28th floor, Finn's group ran into some adventurers heading back to the surface. They said it was a pretty normal day in the dungeon. Again, no signs of virgas, violas or anything non-traditional monsters. Also no sign of a lady warrior with red hair. On the 33rd floor, both teams had to handle a significant number of bloodsaurus, but it was handled routinely.

As planned, both parties stopped for the day on the 36th floor to avoid complications from spartoi and obsidian soldiers. The Finn team members did accomplished one other matter. They were able to check on a few of the locations of the vertical holes on the map provided from the merchants. The map did appear to be accurate.

That 'night', Ais and Bell also had the first watch. While alone, they tried to relax as this may be the calm before the storm. Ais has gotten used to her nightly lap pillow before being carried to her tent. It seemed to help her sleep...


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 - The Abyss**

The next day on the 36th floor, Finn asked Ais and Bell to deliver to Ottar a couple vertical hole map with the caveat that they have confirmed the locations of only 5 holes. On the way back to the Finn camp, Ais mentioned that she slept well thanks to Bell, which made him happy. Upon their return, the teams continued their descent into the deep levels. The teams have also gotten used to staying 2000 feet from each other, and the communications were working well.

To their surprise, they found the Xenos waiting for them on the 38th floor. Apparently Fels had contacted them, and requested that they set a number of fire traps on the 38th level and 39th level. After showing them the traps, the Xenos told them that they will stay on those 2 floors to ensure other adventurers do not have an accident. They thanked the Xenos and continued on their way.

Back at the Hestia home, everyone had a nervous energy about them with no news about Bell and Ais. After Heptaestus arrived, she went to the forge with Welf to work on the armor. Mikoto and Lili then headed out to the magic user practice.

At the secret headquarters, Hermes, Takemikazuchi and Loki have been in contact with the two teams and were satisfied with progress. Asfi has also been planning for an emergency trip down to the dungeon and coordinating with the Ganesha familia. They also have been in touch with the Dian Hecht familia to prepare for possible injuries.

As the day continued, it has been substantially busier for the 2 teams with several colesseums and the standard type spartoi and obsidian soldier monsters. There still has not been any signs of violas, virgas or any non-traditional monsters.

The 2 teams had lunch after they reached the 50th floor, where monsters should not spawn. When they got to the labyrinth levels, there were not a single dragon to be seen. They did have to handle a few random encounters including a few scorpions and snake, but these levels were somewhat 'quiet'. The 58th level still looked similar to the way it was before, with walls, ground and ceiling of graphite as one big room. The 59th level still looked like a jungle, but there still has not been any signs of violas or virgas. Finally, they reached a level that they have never reached, the 60th floor.

When the Ottar/Gareth group entered the 60th level, they reported to the Finn team that it was significantly different. It was dark like the abyss. The room almost seemed to absorb any stray light. However, they continue to make their way through. About ten minutes later, the Finn team also entered the dark level. A key problem is that it will be difficult to use Aerial under these conditions.

As the Ottar/Gareth team got close to what seemed to be the entrance to the 61st floor, the Finn team heard an explosion...


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 - Dead Zone**

In the 'early afternoon', as the Ottar/Gareth team got close to what seemed to be the entrance to the 61st floor, the Finn team heard an explosion. Finn tried to talk to Ottar, but apparently they may have been too busy to talk. So the Finn group picked up their pace and continue to head towards to Ottar's team. Ais and Bell activated Aerial so that they were traveling above the rest of the team, but they could not go much faster as the room almost seemed to absorb any stray light. Lefiya (invisible) decided not to activate Elf Circle to prevent drawing attention to the group. Hermes asked Finn what was going on because he could not get hold of Ottar, but Finn replied he had the same problem. After Finn explained the conditions to Hermes, and the gods could only hope it is not an elaborate trap.

A few minutes later, they could hear weapons clashing, but were still not sure who is fighting with whom. As they got even closer, they could see some light from what is probably the entrance to the next level. Unfortunately there was still no word from Ottar or anyone in his team. However, there does not seem to be anyone nearby and the fighting noise was coming from the entrance. Thus, they continued into the entrance towards the other side. Indeed, it led down to the next level, opening into a large room with good lighting. They can see Ottar's group fighting with about 10 enemies.

With the enemy in sight, Ais and Bell (invisible) took off in Ariel with Bell. Bete, Tiona (invisible) and Tione (invisible) ran off to assist the Ottar group. Lefiya (invisible) started activating Elf Ring and went around a corner to hide her magic ring. Riveria also started concurrent chanting. Finn (now invisible) put on his Hades Hat and stayed with Riveria for the moment, waiting to see how the fight is shaping, and jump in at the strategically critical moment.

With Aerial, Ais and Bell (invisible) were the first to reach the fight, they can see it is currently 5 team members against 10 enemies, with both Gulliver brothers down. There was no red-haired woman in view though. The enemy had the upper hand, with Ottar and Gareth having to battle 4 opponents. The enemy fighters looked like they were fighting at roughly level 6, though there could be a couple level 7 fighting against Ottar and Gareth. With a clear shot from their back side, Bell (invisible) and Ais fired Aerial/firebolt at 2 of the level 6 enemies. That seemed to knock them out. Showing no mercy, Allen and Hedin immediately finished them off.

Suddenly, someone said "Aria, how nice, you have come to visit". Ais suddenly find Revis has jumped next to her. Revis quickly launched a sword stab right through Aerial and into Ais' breastplate. Without the reactive armor, Ais would have been down. However, the armor fired its charge and repelled the attack. Revis looked shock for a second and launched another attack. Bell (invisible) blocked the attack, and Ais launched a counterstrike that hit home. Revis, who now can see both Ais and Bell, coughed up blood from the stash and said "Well you are full of surprises, aren't we. But your tricks will not save you today" Despite fight both of them, Revis was obviously superior. Revis score a direct hit on Bell. Even with the reactive armor, the strike drew a lot of blood...

In the meantime, Tiona (invisible) and Tione (invisible) attacked 2 of the enemies fighting with Gareth and Ottar. Their attacks hit home, downing 2 more enemies. This allowed Gareth and Ottar to fight one-on-one. Bete attacked Hegni's opponent and wounded him. Hegni then proceeded to launch the killing strike. At the same time, Allen continued to show no mercy and immediately killed off the 2 downed enemies, while Hedin went to double up on the other remaining enemy fighters.

Seeing Revis attacking Ais and Bell, Lefiya launched arcs ray against Revis. She was hit but showed much less damage than would have been expected. Bell, who has been charging argonaut, fired a 1 minute charge firebolt, but Revis was able to jump out of the way.

On the ground, the battlefield has vastly changed. It has turned from a 5 friendlies against 10 enemies into 8 friendlies against 5 enemies. The Freya familia was absolutely ruthless with their attack. Fighting one-on-one, Ottar had an advantage over his opponent. His attack hit home, and then Hedin came in to finish her off. Gareth also defeated his opponent but simply knocked her out. After which, Gareth told everyone that he wanted a prisoner. Thus, the numbers have just got to 8 friendlies against 3 enemies. The enemies realized their bad situation and started fleeing. Riveria would have none of that and used Wynn Fimbulvetr against them as well as Revis. The spell did its job, freezing the 3 enemies. Revis, who seemed to have very strong magic resistance, was damaged but still able to fight. However, seeing that her entire party was defeated, she used a very high speed maneuver to escape. Ais and Bell chased, but Revis seemed to have disappeared after turning a corner...

Having lost track of Revis, Ais and Bell went to meet up with the group. There were 9 dead and 1 captured enemy who had been tied up. The Gullivers brothers were badly injured and being treated. Leifya and Riveria have also joined the group, while Finn (invisible) stayed away to maintain a tactical advantage. Ottar was updating Hermes, but then Tiona made an important discovery. She recognized the captured fighter and some of the dead are actually adventurers from Orario!

At that point, Allen said he also recognizes some of them but thought they had perished in the dungeon after the war!

Finally, Riveria immediately made the connection. Someone, may be Enyo, is turning defeated or dead adventurers into an army of the living dead!

Worst of all, these living dead can probably level up by consuming magic stones of powerful entities...


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 - Big Trouble**

With the realization that there could a large army of living dead of enormous powers, Hermes and others at the secret headquarter almost had a collective heart attack. While they try to figure out what to do, an immediate lock-down was put on any dungeon expeditions. All familias in Orario were ordered to immediately provide information on missing and dead adventurers in the last 20 years.

On the 61st floor, the 2 teams have secured the perimeter and the Gullivers brothers were mostly healed. Bell and other team members were also treated. Allen checked on the dead opponents and confirmed that they all had magic stones. All 6 magic stones were collected to prevent the enemy from getting stronger.

After further consultation with Hermes, Freya and Takemikazuchi, the team agreed that the risks of staying in the deep levels were far too great. An immediate retreat was ordered to the Xenos traps because no one knew how many dead adventurers were 'recruited' into the army of the dead. Unfortunately, the prisoner refused to offer any useful information. Thus, a return to the surface is likely as the prisoner needs to be interrogated.

The tactical retreat back to the Xenos trap area was relatively quick. The 2 teams simply slashed and burned their way though any silly monsters that got in the way and exploded through the colosseums instead of carefully working through them. Thus, by 'late evening', the 2 teams reached the trap area. Bell and the team leaders told the Xenos about the situation. Lyd and Asterius commented that they have not seen any large groups of fighters in the deep levels, but they have not been in the deep levels since the war. Combining all their information, it appears that this army of the dead may have been assembled after the war ended. At that point, Fel showed up mysteriously and convinced the Xenos to move themselves up to the 1st floor during this living dead situation.

That night, Ais and Bell also had the first watch. With both of them boosted at level 7, their combined skills were still no match for Revis, who they believed is at least level 9 or perhaps level 10. Ais was clearly bothered about Revis, and Bell gave her a lap pillow while petting her head. This helped Ais relax and fall asleep. At the end of their watch, he carried Ais to her tent but could not fall asleep himself. Bell was so frustrated with himself being too weak to protect Ais and his friends.

The next morning, the final decision was made to return to the surface. When everyone reached the 1st floor, Wiene was there and gave Bell a hug even though a surprised Ais was next to him. Wiene told Bell that she is going to the Hestia home again, and that she has gotten a little stronger...


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 - Think Tank**

When the 2 teams returned to the surface, they were immediately summoned to the secret headquarters. Welf, Mikoto and Lili were also invited so they brought Wiene along. Before they left, the prisoner was turned over to the Ganesha famila and the remaining Freya familia. After the teams reached the headquarters, the level boosting was turned off.

Beyond Hermes, Freya and Takemikazuchi, Loki, Hephaestus and Tsukbaki were already there. The goal of the meeting was to use all available information to figure out the strength of the enemy and how the situation was evolving. By then, the Freya familia already extracted useful information from the prisoner and extracted his magic stone. Bell was a little shocked with the quick termination, but this is war. Finally, all the familias have provided their lists of missing and dead members in the last 20 years. After receiving all the available information, the gods' think tank analyzed and then presented the most important facts:

1\. All of the dead opponents were missing or killed AFTER the war.

2\. The only exception is Revis, who was thought to be killed many years ago in the 27th floor massacre.

3\. All of the dead opponents except Revis were roughly fighting at level 6 or 7.

4\. Revis was fighting at level 9 or 10.

5\. There were many hundreds killed or missing in those many years since the 27th floor massacre.

6\. Based on the battle, the enemy did not appear to use much magic, but Revis seems to have very strong magic resistance.

7\. Rough ratings for monster: violas - level 3, virga - level 4, varlang dragons - level 5, udaeus - level 6, balor - level 6

8\. There is absolutely no information on Enyo or any other magic using monsters besides the demi-spirit, but a lot of parasitic transformation resources were used up in the Black Dragon-Thanatos conflict.

With this information set, they deduced that there is only a slight possibility that there are many hundreds of enemy combatants fighting at level 6 or higher. Many hundreds of enemy at level 6 or higher would simply be the end of the world scenario. There is no need to plan for that because there is no way the current teams can defeat such an enemy. If that is the case, at least several gods would need to join Hestia in heaven. Thus, the scenario they must plan for is that the army of the dead consist of those missing or killed after the war.

The next question is how large is the enemy? Based on their information, 33 adventurers were listed as missing or killed since the war. Since they have destroyed 7, there may be 26 left not including Revis.

The following question is how high level are they? The reasonable assumption would be level 6-8, probably mostly level 6-7. Using the same ratio as what they encountered, there originally were 7 level 7 and 26 level 6. After the recent battle, the numbers may have reduced the number to 5 level 7 and 19 level 6. In terms of Enyo or any magic using monsters, there was inadequate information to make any conclusions beyond it could be bad.

The next question is where did they get the power boosts from? The assumption is that this army was busy consuming the magic stones of the powerful monsters in the deep levels. This is consistent with all the missing violas, viscums and virgas, as well as the dragons and other powerful traditional monsters. This assumes the 'dead' were not feeding off each other like Revis did with Olivas. The gods would ignore the canabalism case because that is the best case scenario. If they were consuming each other, then the recent battle may have destroyed most of the enemy's strength.

The final question is how much stronger will the enemy get if they are not stopped immediately? Does eating a magic stone of a level 6 monster increase the enemy's strength from level 6 to level 7? More? Less? The Loki familia saw Revis leveling after consuming Olivias' magic stone, but they do not know how much experience she had to start with. Suddenly, Hermes suggested a shocking answer. Hermes said to give the 6 magic stones to Wiene to determine it experimentally. After the initial shock, it was agreed to exactly do the experiment. The results would then be analyzed by the god's think tank that specialize in figuring out difficult problems.

Thus, Wiene has become the center figure of the meeting...


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 - Sudden Burst of Power**

Wiene suddenly become the key to figure out how powerful the enemy may have become. Since Wiene trusted Bell the most, her baseline ability would be determine as she battled Bell. After a little sparring, everyone agreed that Wiene is roughly fighting at mid level 3. At that point, she confirmed sheepishly that she had been busy since returning to the dungeon. What happened after was one for the history books.

After consuming a magic stone of a level 6 and a little more sparring, they determined that Wiene was then a late level 3. With another magic stone of a level 6, she reached early level 4. Yet another magic stone of a level 6, she was at early-mid level 4. Yet another magic stone of a level 6, she was at mid-level 4. Having used up the level 6 enemy magic stones, she consumed the magic stone of a level 7. That took her to a high level late-level 4. The final magic stone of a level 7 took her to an early-mid level 5 power level. In a span of 30 minutes, she gained almost 2 levels of power.

With these results, the think tank went off to analyze. Within 2 hours, the statistics-based results were presented.

Since level 6 and level 7 are roughly the same or higher level than most dungeon monsters, it gives a good idea of the boost energy available to the enemy. One has to figure that there could be hundreds of virga and tens of thousands of viola as their basic energy supply. In comparison, monsters like the dragons and the balor would take too long to respawn in the last 2 months.

Based on these results, it would be straight-forward for the enemy to reach level 5 or 6, but could reach the point of diminishing returns after level 6. Furthermore, Revis had lots of time and probably cheated by taking Olivias' magic stone to reach level 7. However, it is quite possible that Revis did take the magic stones of a few more enemy fighters to reach her current level 9 or 10 of power unless she extracted magic stones from unknown monsters in the level 7-9 range.

With all this analytics, it appears that the core enemy force would have ~20 level 6-7 fighters remaining. Furthermore, most probably do not use much magic. Thankfully, there were no elf magic users in the missing/killed group - reducing the chance of an enemy Riveria.

Finally, the think tank also provided a **suggested fighting strategy:** Follow the battle plan used by teams 1 and 2, use magic strikes to weed out the level 6-7 fighter. Then use large numbers of fighters to overwhelm the few level 8-10 fighters with strong magic resistance. Utilize as much invisibility and communications as possible, though the enemy would anticipate such moves after the first battle. The idea of mixing invisible combatants next to visible combatants was a brilliant move by Finn. Similar type of thinking would be encouraged. Finally, if the enemy does have strong magic users like Riveria, then the battle would be extremely close.

After the long day, the meeting was adjourned. A buffet dinner was arranged, and Wiene was again the center of attention. She has just gone from mid-3rd level to early-mid-5th level in hours. Indeed, it is a brave new world. With all the attention on Wiene, Ais and Bell got some quality time eating outside the cafeteria.

Afterwards, they relaxed as well as they could under the stars, Ais was getting her nightly lap pillow and Bell is also petting her hair. While enjoying the lap pillow, Ais' thoughts drifted to how she used to pet Bell like a rabbit, but now the hero has become the pet while pet has become the hero...


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 - Fetal Position**

To her shock and surprise, Ais woke up with Bell's face right next to her. Suddenly, she remembered how bad she was last night. After Bell carried her to her assigned room in the headquarters, she acted like a 5 year old when he placed her on her bed. She would not let go! What did Bell think? Worst of all, the door to the room was apparently wide open for all to see!

She suddenly realized Tiona, Tione, Riveria were peeking and had sick smiles on their faces! Steamed, she gave them the angry look, and they all ran for their lives. However, the immediate problem is that she did not want to wake Bell up, but she could not move at all without waking him. She was still holding onto him in her fetal position! OMG

When Bell finally woke up, Ais was looking right at him like a scared rabbit. Bell actually was quite calm about it. It was "good morning" and "I am hungry". Then Bell went off whistling to his room to change his clothes and brush his teeth. As he walked away, there was a smirk on his face : )

On his way, he ran into Bete, Gareth and Finn, but not a word was said. Hermes and Zeus must be proud... though the gossip must be over the entire headquarters... Hopefully Wiene would not know or she may take it really hard.

The first meeting for the day is how to improve the team.

A larger army may be needed, and that can come from the Ganesha familia, the Heptaestus familia and others. Basically anyone level 4 and above is fair game. The larger army would account for potential lower level enemy fighters as well as a defensive perimeter.

The core team members also need to get stronger with Revis and possibly more like her. However, that is really hard because eating magic stones is not an option. One possibility is if Haruhime's magic improves, but she just leveled up after the war. Still it was worth a try to send her to Hestia to get an update for a small improvement. They would also send Bell and Ais to get their Falnas updated to get as much improvement as possible.

They can improve their defense by using Welf's reactive armor. But there is only one Welf and other smiths cannot seem to enchant armor with the reactive magic charge. However, how many pieces of armor can Welf make over a short time period? Furthermore, Welf just leveled up after the war, so he is not likely to level up for quite a long time. However, it is still worth a try to send him to Hestia to get an update. A slight improvement is likely from all the smith work he has been doing.

More magic weapons can be created, but Revis is very magic resistant. Still Tsubaki will be working hard on that.

Another move is to improve on Welf's armor. Hephaestus has been already working on improving the armor by adding more thin metal layers, each with an additional magic charger. Even if she succeeds, the bottleneck is still Welf's charging.

They can work with the Xenos to try to level up them up. However there is a limited number magic stones that can be extracted from high level monsters, and the enemy seems to have a monopoly on most of them. Hermes mentions there is an extra magic stone from the prisoner, so that should be given to Wiene.

The meeting only lasted 1 hours, and then Bell, Ais, Welf and Haruhime were sent to Hestia. Lili was left out because she did not partake in anything significant since her level up.

Hestia was really surprised to see them, but Bell got a lot of maternal nurturing...


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 - Surprise**

Hestia was very happy to see Bell, Haruhime, Welf and Ais. After Bell got a lot of maternal nurturing, they explained the need to update. Bell was the first, and he gained a good amount, but he still is not even 30% of the way to 7th level. Ais was about 50% but most of the gain was from the war. Welf actually made good progress compared to his typical rate, but he is 15% of the way to 5th. Finally Haruhime's update was a shock. She was 75% of the way to 4th level.

Haruhime already unexpectedly leveled up after the war. Thus this result is very strange. Ais came up with a theory that was plausible - could Haruhime be receiving a small percentage of the benefit when the people she boosted up gained ability? It would seem to be fair because the boosted person is not responsible for all of the results. Thus it could be plausible for a small amount of that benefit to be transferred to Haruhime and even her level boost group? However, there was no way to be sure. This theory would help explain how Haruhime unexpectedly leveled after the war when she did not even entered the dungeon during the war...

Before they left, Bell gave Hestia some of the cafeteria's jagamarukuns. Unfortunately, these were a poor imitation of the real thing. After returning to the headquarters, Haruhime's unusual update was reported. That caused a lot of excitement. The question is if there was a way help her go the remaining 25% and level up. With a level up, there could be substantial improvement to uchide no kozuchi though no one is sure what it would be. After some thought, Lili and Haruhime came up with a new idea. If Haruhime actually gets a small portion of the experience gained by the person she leveled up, then she should benefit right now if she boosts Bell and he fights someone strong. Loki and Hermes loved the idea. So the Harihume-boosting activity would start right after lunch.

Even before they return, Ganesha was organizing the larger army. As expected, it would come from the Ganesha familia, the Heptaestus familia and others. Essentially everyone level 5 or above will join the core force. Level 4 combatants would join the defensive perimeter. A big decision was that the defensive perimeter will move into the dungeon about 2 levels above and 5 levels above where the core fighting force has advanced. The defensive perimeter would also include the Xenos who will also set traps.

Welf has also analyzed the damage to Bell's armor and Ais' armor. To his surprise, Revis was so strong that both charges on Ais' armor ignited. That is also probably what kept her safe. Bell's armor with one charge was unable to totally stop the first attack and thus Bell was injured somewhat severely. Welf has also repaired their armor, and will be recharging both armor sets with 2 charges in the afternoon. With Welf's falna update, hopefully the work will be slightly faster and better.

Hephaestus has been working hard to improve Welf's armor. Tsubaki is helping her create thin armor layers so that more layers can be stacked together.

Since the focus is on armor first, Tsubaki has put magic weapons on the backburner. Howver, the 3 of them have been discussed another Lili lightning javelin.

Wiene has consumed the last magic stone. She is now fully mid-level 5, which is a full 2 levels from where she started. Wiene requested some training so that she can help in the war. Tiona and Tione volunteered to practice with Wiene.

After the meeting ended, the entire gang ate lunch in the cafeteria. At that point, the Haruhime boosting activity started...


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 - Boosting the Booster**

Due to Haruhime's unusual progress during the last few days, there was a lot of excitement that she may be gaining ability from the fighters she boosted during their battles.

The theory does help explain how Haruhime unexpectedly leveled after the war when she did not enter the dungeon during the war. Of all the unexpected leveling at the Hestia familia, she was the least plausible one. In comparison, Lili's daring spy mission changed the course of the war. Welf's lightning charge in the Lili javelin blew a large hole in the Black Dragon and was the attack that freed most of the Great Spirits. Mikoto was heavily involved in the fighting, constraining and crushing many elementals and several heavenly male cows - both are high level opponents. In fact, she went mind zero twice and almost a couple more times.

The question is if there was a way to help Haruhime go the remaining 25% and level up. Thus, a special project will try to increase her ability by boosting Bell and then have Bell engage in tough battles. After lunch, the Haruhime boosting activity started.

Two primary tasks are having Bell physically fight a tough opponent and then having Bell fire off magic attacks with argonaut charging. To get Bell the toughest physical battle, Ottar would be the opponent. For the magic exercise, Bell would charge up during battles with Ottar but then fire argonaut firebolt into the sky.

For 5 hours, Bell and Ottar fought. Since Ottar is level 8, he gave Bell quite a tough time even if Bell was level-boosted to level 7. However, Bell did improve over those hours, much to Ottar's surprise. By the end of the 5 hours, a substantial improvement is noticeable. After the physical battle, Bell and Ottar traveled a substantial distance from the secret headquarters with help from Asfi and Ais. Ottar and Bell then fought more while Bell took the limit off Argonaut. At the last second, Bell fired the argonaut firebolt into the sky. After Bell returned, Haruhime was sent to Hestia for updating again. However, there was no definitive difference so they would try again the next day. Afterwards, the 4 returned back to headquarters.

By the end of the day, other team members made substantial progress. Welf finished adding the reactive charging to the armor for Ottar and Finn. Hephaestus and Tsubaki figured out a way to add one more thin armor layer so that 3 charges can be added instead of 2. That is apparently the limit though before the layers started to interact with each other. Welf would thus only need to add an extra layer to the armor sets for Bell, Ais, Ottar and Finn. Wiene has been training with Tiona and Tione and has been improving. She told everyone that she wants to join the Hestia familia, which would be quite a precedent if allowed.

Dinner was a cookout, and everyone enjoyed the grilled meats. Wiene ate too much and had to rest. Lili and Haruhime helped her by rubbing her tummy. Bell and Ais were playing a new card game against Tione and Tiona. Bete and Gareth were drinking, but Loki was keeping her eye on Bete to make sure he does not embarrass her in front of so many other gods. Finn was still complaining about his thumb. Welf was having a private chat with Hephaestus about the future. Asif got angry with Hermes and hung him upside down again.

After dinner, Bell again gave Ais her nightly lap pillow. However, Bell caught Tiona, Tione, Riveria, Lili, and Haruhime spying on them. To give them a subtle message, he starting charging argonaut with the limit off, causing them all to run for their life at top speed...

The next morning, Ais again woke up inches away from Bell's face. Realizing she clung to him after lap pillow again, she immediately took a look at her door. Thankfully, Bell closed it this time.

Bell's day was totally committed to testing the theory about Haruhime. He spent the entire day taking turns fighting with Finn, Gareth and Ottar. At the end of the day, he again created fireworks far off in the wildness with another argonaut firebolt. At the end of the day, Haruhime was again sent to Hestia for updating. After one and a half days of work, it appears that an improvement was detected. Haruhime was really happy as she was 80% to the next level, an improvement of 5%. However at this rate, about 1 week would be needed to raise her to level 4.

Welf refinished the armor sets for Bell, Ais, Ottar and Finn so they now have 3 charges each. If they are correct, this should protect completely for the 1st strike while reducing the severity of the 2nd strike to the same armor piece by about two-thirds. Hephaestus and Tsubaki are now focused on fabricating more of the thin metal layers so that the armor of other members can be upgraded with Welf's reactive charging.

Wiene trained the entire day with Tiona, Tione and Ais. The big news is that the gods have approved her request to join the Hestia familia. When Haruhime goes back to Hestia in 2 days, Wiene will go with her to get her falna. In the meantime, Hermes and Loki are looking for outdoor locations for Wiene to gain more experience without having to go into the dungeon. Ais, Tione, Asif and Tiona plan to go with Wiene on her first outdoor adventure.

That evening, Bell and Ais talked about Hestia, Wiene and Haruhime while Ais got her nightly lap pillow. Ais was a bit worried about Wiene trying to help too quickly. They also do not totally believe that Haruhime is able to gain experience through the person she boosted.

The next day was mostly more of the same. Bell fought with Ottar, Finn and Gareth. Welf upgraded the armor for Gareth and Tione so they both have 3 charges. Tsubaki worked on more thin metal pieces for upgrading armor. In the meantime, Hephaestus started researching options for magic weapons to attack Revis. Wiene training took a slightly different direction. She fought in her Wyvern form against Ais, Tiona and Tione. Wiene is quite formidable in that form, which made Ais consider additional options...

At the end of the day, Haruhime, Bell and Wiene were sent to Hestia for updating again. Bell showed reasonable progress, being about 40% of the way to level 7. Haruhime showed reasonable improvement at 87% of the way to level 4, which showed a 7% increase in 2 days. Finally, Hestia was really happy to make Wiene a member of her familia.

That evening, Bell again gave Ais her nightly lap pillow, but apparently the other ladies stopped spying on them. Perhaps everyone has gotten used to their nightly relaxation outside the headquarters... Meantime, Loki is crying her eyes out in her room. Tiona and Tione are teaching a card game to Lefiya and Bete in the entertainment area on other side of the headquarters. Next to them, Mikoto and Welf have been teaching another card game to Wiene and Lili...

.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 - Happiness and Frustrations**

Next morning, Hermes came up with a twist to the power transfer idea. He suggested testing the level boosting concept with a team of level boosters that will boost fighters who are practicing. The boosters should be lower level so the power transfer would be more meaningful to their stats. The fighters should be higher level but be fighting someone higher level than they are. Since Hestia just did Haruhime's update, so the stats are known and the plan was immediately put into action.

Thus Mikoto and Lili joined Haruhime in the level-boosting team. After boosting, Bell, Tione and Tiona battled with higher level fighters in Finn, Gareth and Ottar. For good measure, Riveria and Lefiya would be launching attacks at them at the same time. Finally, Wiene and Ais would also be launching attacks from the air. Before they started, Mikoto and Lili went to get an update from Hestia so their starting points are also known.

With all the activity, the practice was held far from the secret headquarters. The practice was much more strenous than the previous days, and Bell, Tione and Tiona were overwhelmed with each requiring several lap pillows. Amid also had to provide perform healing several times. The end of the practice was punctuated with Bell's argonaut firebolt to the sky, which brought down lots of feathers and several seared gooses for dinner.

When the practice team returned to headquarters, Tsubaki had finished enough thin metal pieces for the entire core team, and she will be making more for additional defenders. Tomorrow, she will travel back to her familia home to teach the skills to other smiths. They are going into mass production. Welf continued to charge the armor sets, as he is only able to charge about 2 sets per day. Hephaestus was also really frustrated researching options for magic weapons to attack Revis who is really magic resistant.

At the end of the day, Bell and Ais decided to enjoy the lap pillowing in her room. This was more practical because they can change into pajamas so they can sleep more comfortably when Ais refuse to let go.

The next day, the practice was conducted in the same fashion. Mikoto, Lili and Haruhime provided the level boosting. Post-boost, Bell, Tione and Tiona then fought against Finn, Gareth and Ottar while simultaneously under bombardment by magic attacks from Riveria and Lefiya as well as attacks from Wiene and Ais. Bell, in particular, showed substantial improvement and only required 1 lap pillow from Ais. Unfortunately, Tione and Tiona still received multiple lap pillows from Finn and Bete who performed their duty. After Bell's argonaut firebolt at the end of practice, Bell, Haruhime, Mikoto and Lili went to get their updates from Hestia.

After more maternal nurturing from Hestia, Bell's update showed slight improvement at 50% from level 7 while Mikoto and Lili showed slight improvement. Mikoto was at 95% away from level 5 while Lili was 97% away from level 4. The big news was Haruhime. With her improvement, she was only 3% away from level 4.

The other members continued their tasks. Tsubaki decided to stay in Orario to oversee the mass production. Welf continued to charge the armor sets. Hephaestus continued to research options for magic weapons to attack Revis.

That evening, while Bell again gave Ais her nightly lap pillow, they laughed about the insane progress that everyone is making. Ais suggested that the fox demon will soon emerge from Bell's stomach like in her favorite manga. At the same time, there was a loud and exciting game of cards involving Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Bete, Mikoto, Welf, Wiene and Lili.

The next day, the goal of the practice was to take Haruhime the rest of the way to level 4. Thus, the same exact practice was held before sending Haruhime to see Hestia. Without any surprise, Haruhime made it to level 4 at the end of the day.

There was a celebration but there would be a lot of work to figure out the benefits from Haruhime's leveling. The other members also made progress. After returning from Orario, Tsubaki was able to join in the celebration bringing back mass produced armor parts. Welf also came out of the forge for the celebration. He was in a mood to celebrate since he finished charging the armor sets he had. However, he fainted when Tsubaki gave him more thin metal layers to charge for the rest of the Freya familia's armor. Hephaestus was also in a celebratory mood as she finally figured out a way to fight Revis who is really resistant to magic. When asked about it, she said it would involve Wiene...

Near the end of the celebration, Riveria took Ais outside the cafeteria and asked Ais if she and Bell will make it official? When Ais looked puzzled, Riveria reminded her of what everyone saw that morning when Ais' room door was left opened. Ais quickly explained to Riveria that she gets really sleepy after lap pillow and cannot let go of Bell while she is sleepy, so Bell has to stay still while Ais sleeps... With that, Riveria was first shocked but then enjoyed the best laugh she has had since she teased Ais when Bell ran away from her lap pillow. Steamed, Ais chased Riveria around the headquarters, with Riveria complaining that she is too old to be chased like that...


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 - Super Bell**

Next morning, another meeting was held to discuss Haruhime's level up as well as Hephaestus' idea. First, the top priority was to figure out if the level up increased Haruhime's level boosting powers. To do that, experiments would be carried out after the meeting with similar fighting matchups.

Second, Hephaestus presented her idea to improve their attacks against Revis, who is really resistant to magic. She said it will involve Wiene, as she has noticed Wiene's fighting potential in the recent practices. Her plan is to build a special set of reactive armor for Wiene to protect her during battle and add magic-infused sharp edges to her talons. With these capabilities, Wiene would be able better able to assist Ais and Bell in the air, whether it is against Revis or the main army of the enemy. It would be easier to conceal Wiene if she only don her armor when the battle has started, so others will have to help so Wiene probably needs to travel with the defense perimeter group. Wiene was really happy to hear that, though she wished she would be more powerful in order to protect Bell and her other friends...

After the meeting, advanced uchide no kozuchi was used to boost up Bell and it was worth 2 levels! So this is now super advanced uchide no kozuchi. Furthermore, up to 12 additional combatants can be boosted for 1 level if the level-boost group had enough support. Finally, Haruhime was able to shift at will the double-boost among the 13 persons who were boosted. Thus the Haruhime boosting activity was declared a big success, while Loki, Freya, Hermes and Takemikazuchi went off to discuss their new situation.

At the same time, Wiene also went off with Hephaestus so measurements can be taken for her armor and the sharp edges. She is quite excited to work with Hephaestus.

With their duty in the level boosting group completed, Mikoto and Lili started to work on their own magic again. Practicing with Asfi, Mikoto started trying to use futsunomitama against fast flying targets. At the same time, Lili was trying to use cinder ella to turn herself into smaller monsters such as a snake. Also trying to take advantage of her horrible experience from the parasitic transformation, Lili has also been working on turning into a plant.

After the morning's various activities, there was a working lunch to discuss what to do next for Wiene and level boosting. Hephaestus suggested having Wiene practice against Ais and Bell while she worked on the armor and the sharp edges. Adding magic attacks from Riveria and Lefiya would be a possibility if Wiene does well. However, it is clear that they can see their war preparation efforts soon coming to a close.

Practice was again held far from the secret headquarters. Wiene was very maneuverable and that gave Ais and Bell a good battle. However, Ais and Bell were substantially stronger even though they did not use magic attacks. During the practice, Wiene needed a lot of healing which made Ais and Bell feel bad. They hugged Wiene to thank her for trying to help them, and Ais also apologized for attacking Wiene during the Xenos episode. Wiene was so happy that she cried a bit. This was so much better than a few months ago when Ais almost killed Wiene.

When the practice team returned to headquarters, Tsubaki and Hephaestus were resting from the tough work on Wiene's armor. The pieces were larger, heavier and required a lot more work, but they did fabricated a couple body plates for Wiene to try out. Welf was also tired after having charged up 3 sets of armor for the day - a record for him and he nearly went mind zero.

There was a cookout to celebrate Haruhime's level up and Weine's 'promotion'. After the cookout, there was another loud and exciting game of cards involving Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Bete, Mikoto, Welf, Wiene and Lili. In the middle of their game, Loki, Hermes, Hephaestus, Freya, Asfi and Takemikazuchi also joined in. When Hermes later suggested raising the stakes a bit with a smirk, a really happy Takemikazuchi liked the idea. In response, Asfi and Mikoto hung both of them upside down for the rest of the game, and Mikoto further threatened them with futsunomitama...


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 - Revenge on Asfi and Hermes**

Next morning, Welf was walking by when Bell and Ais left her room for breakfast. Welf smiled at them and kept walking. Later at breakfast, Welf could not contain himself any more and asked Bell what he has been doing at nights. Bell answered that he and Ais were keeping up with their synchronization.

Before practice started, the first order of business was for Wiene to try out her new armor plates. Thankfully, they fitted perfectly. Furthermore, with her huge strength, she could handle heavier weight, which allowed the armor to be much heavier and stronger. Hephaestus also tried fitting the sharp edges on her talons, and those fitted also. Wiene tried to swing with them, causing everyone to duck for cover. The sharp edges added a lot of damage to her strikes...

After that, the practice started against Ais and Bell, with uchide no kozuchi used to boost up Ais by 2 levels to improve Aerial performance. Happy with the armor results, Hephaestus and Tsubaki went off to fabricate more armor and sharp edges for Wiene.

Mikoto and Lili continued to work on their magic. Practicing with Asfi, Mikoto was improving on using futsunomitama against fast flying targets, successfully trapping Asfi twice. When Hermes suggested to squeeze a little bit to better simulate battle conditions, Asfi became furious and promised Hermes revenge. Lili was also able to use cinder ella to turn into a larger snake, but kept pushing the envelope to turn into smaller and more innocuous-looking snakes. Lili also made some progress turning into a few harmless plants typical in the dungeon. Lili had been working really hard because she is extremely frustrated with her own weakness and inability to help Bell-sama.

After getting some revenge on Asfi, Hermes went off to discuss tactical planning with Loki, Freya and Takemikazuchi. They were going through who should be boosted up 2 levels, and when double-boost should be shifted to other team members. Hermes' initial thought was Bell should receive the double boost to strength the hero's strike, though Takemikazuchi suggested Wiene may become an option especially if Bell is injured. His primary reason is that Wiene would be really tough to hit since she is strong enough to wear really thick armor. Thus, they also decided to bring several members of the defense perimeter team to the secret headquarters to train them on putting armor on Wiene. Since Mikoto knew Wiene well, she was a natural choice to help Wiene with her armor. However more help is needed to quicken the armor donning process. Thus, Filvis, Raul from the Loki familia were summoned to join Mikoto in the Wiene armor team.

After lunch, Wiene continue to practice with Ais and Bell. By the end of the day, she finally started improving against their attacks. Tomorrow's practice will add magic attacks from Riveria and Lefiya. When they returned to the headquarters, Hephaestus and Tsubaki were finished with Wiene's body armor plates, which are ready for trials in the next day's practice. Welf was also finally done with charging up all the armor for the fighters. However, when he learned of the need to charge up Wiene's armor, he fainted again.

There was a another cookout due to the popularity of the grilled food. After the cookout, there was another loud and exciting game of cards involving the same characters. Unlike the previous night, Asfi agreed to raising the stakes. Asfi won the game with the cooperation from almost everyone except Takemikazuchi and Welf. When Hermes lost, Asfi's reward was a solemn promise from Hermes that he will refrain from making naughty comments for 1 week. This may be the most serious punishment that Hermes has ever suffered, and he cried for the rest of the night...


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 - Scary**

Next morning, the first task was for Wiene to try out her new armor plates and for Raul, Mikoto and Filvis to help her with putting on the armor. Without any practice, it took 10 minutes, which is far too long. The body armor was perfect. She could handle added weight, and her agility was not affect much. Happy with the armor, the Wiene armor team repeated the armor installation process 2 more times, and they managed to reduce the time to 8 minutes. It is apparent that more manpower was needed. Hermes commented that the armor donning tomorrow will include 5 extra helpers.

Afterwards, the practice started against Ais and Bell, with uchide no kozuchi used again to boost up Ais by 2 levels. Fighting the armored Wiene was a new experience for Bell and Ais. Adding magic attacks did turn the tables on Wiene, but she only needed to be healed 2 times.

With the armor plates done, Hephaestus and Tsubaki went off to fabricate sharp edges for Wiene. They wanted to lightning charge the edges, but no one has told Welf about the extra work yet. Meanwhile Welf started charging the thin metal layers for Wiene's armor.

Mikoto and Lili continued to work on their magic. Practicing with Asfi, Mikoto was even better with futsunomitama to trap fast flying targets. She trapped Asfi 5 out of 8 times in the morning. Hermes watched but had to hold his mouth with his promise. Lili also made some progress with cinder ella to turn into a larger snakes, but will continue to try to further improve. Similar progress was made for turning into a few plants.

In the meeting between Hermes, Loki, Freya and Takemikazuchi, they agree that they are close. It is almost time for the attack. Final preparations have been made with the guild and the Ganesha familia. They did not know what the enemy did to improve in the last 2 weeks, but they hope Revis did not manage to consume too many magic stones.

After lunch, Wiene continue to practice with Ais, Bell, Riveria and Lefiya. By the end of the day, she showed more improvement against their combined attacks. When they returned to the headquarters, Hephaestus and Tsubaki were finished with Wiene's sharp edges. They fabricated 5 pairs for Wiene, so she could use the lightning attack 10 times. However, with each use, she would have to rearm with a fresh sharp edge. Welf was about half done charging up the thin metal layers for Wiene's armor. However, when he learned of the need to charge up Wiene's sharp edges, he fainted yet again.

Hermes, Loki, Freya and Takemikazuchi met again after lunch. They worked out additional details. The same 2 core teams will continued to be used. Bell will get the double level boost. Others receiving boosts will be Ais, Wiene, Finn, Ottar, Riveria, Gareth, Lefiya, Bete, Tiona, Tione, Allen and Hegni. With the information learned from the last battle, they decided to maintain a 500 feet gap between the teams instead of a 2000 feet gap. Furthermore, they decided to only keep a 1 floor gap between the 2 core fighting teams and the defensive perimeter. Any remaining fighters at 5th level and higher would be part of the 1st defensive perimeter. They are teamed together with the Xenos and will be ready to lend assistance to the core fighting teams. The 2nd and final defensive perimeter would be 2 floors above the core fighting force. Weine will be traveling with them along with Mikoto, Raul and Filvis. Lili will also travel with the defensive perimeter group. The gods have decided to put all their eggs into one basket...

For dinner, it was a fancy banquet. During the dinner, the gods announced the time for the attack is arriving in 2 days...


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 - Final Preparations**

Next morning, with the announcement of the attack date, there was a lot of tension in the air. A lot of logistics needed to be finalized. However, the teams continued to practice, and the work continued on the armor and the weapons. With 5 extra helpers, the Wiene armor team reduced the time for the armor install to 3 minutes, an enormous improvement. After several extra practices, the time was down to 150 seconds.

Afterwards, uchide no kozuchi again boosted Ais by 2 levels. The same practice with Wiene was conducted. She has shown a lot of improvement against the combined attacks. With the heavier armor plates, Wiene was very formidable. With the armor and sharp edges done, Hephaestus and Tsubaki tried to help Welf where they could with charging. His goal was to finish with charging all the thin metal layers in one day before charging the sharp edges the next day. Mikoto and Lili continued to work on their magic. Mikoto was able to trap Asfi 6 out of 8 times in the morning. Lili also made further progress with cinder ella to turn into snakes and plants.

By lunch, final logistics were wrapped up with the guild and all the other familias. After lunch, Wiene continue to practice with Ais, Bell, Riveria and Lefiya. By the end of the day, Welf was done with all the thin metal layers for Wiene's armor. Welf, Hephaestus and Tsubaki then went back to Orario that night to work on the sharp edges the next day. They also would have to install the thin metal layers on all the armor before the teams descend into the dungeons.

Dinner was plain and simple. It was really starting to feel like war is coming. That night, there was one final card game, but it was less loud and less fun. Bell and Ais went for an Aerial ride for the evening. They wanted some time away from the headquarters to clear their minds. They were both thinking about what Revis was doing and if she got more powerful again. It is a strange feeling for Bell to have to face an enemy that can improve faster than he can. Ais and Bell did not lap pillow, but just hugged and fell asleep...

Next morning, there was only one final practice before heading back to Orario. As in previous practices, uchide no kozuchi was used again to boost up Ais by 2 levels and Wiene continued to battle Ais, Bell, Riveria and Lefiya. Mikoto and Lili also continued to work on their magic. Mikoto was able to trapped Asfi 7 out of 8 times in the morning. Lili was able to use cinder ella to turn into mid-size snakes and plants. Back at Orario, Welf was working feverishly to finish charging the sharp edges.

After lunch, Bell, Haruhime, Ais, Mikoto, Lili and Wiene were sent to Hestia for a final Falna update. Bell was about 40% from level 7, while Haruhime progressed for 10% since her level up. Ais was 45% from level 7, while Mikoto and Lili were 90% from leveling. Hestia had some trouble figuring out Wiene's progress but able to see that she is roughly 50% from her next level. The Haruhime level-boosting group was then activated, and they leveled-up the core team members. After the double-boost, Bell felt like a real tough guy at level 8. Haruhime waved good luck to her familia members as they left the headquarters.

After the return to Orario, the core teams' armor sets were deliver to Welf, Hephaestus and Tsubaki. The night before the attack, the entire Hestia familia except Haruhime ate at a fancy restaurant. Bell tried to cheer everyone up, but everyone was obviously worried. After dinner, Bell and Ais took a walk around Orario. They have not walk together in the city for a long time. They were mentally prepared for the war.

Welf finished charging the sharp edges by midnight. Welf, Hephaestus and Tsubaki then pulled an all-nighter to install all the thin metal layers to everyone's armor. Everything was ready to go. It was time for war.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 - The Descent**

The next morning, all the warriors gathered at the dungeon entrance in the morning. Weapons ready, armor charged, communication stones checked and Hades Hats packed. They would travel down together and rendezvous with the Xenos on the 1st floor. At that point, Ottar's team 1 and Finn's team 2 would descend into the 2nd floor about 500 feet apart from each other. The defensive perimeter group 1 would follow the 2 teams while maintaining a 1-floor difference with them. The defensive perimeter 2 group then followed while maintaining a 1-floor gap with the defensive perimeter 1 group. The Xenos traveled with the defensive perimeter 1 group. Lili, Mikoto, Weine, Raul and Filvis were part of the defensive perimeter 2 group. The order was to retrieve the magic stones of any monster above level 3 and deliver them to Wiene. Finally, team 2's alignment was Bell-Ais, Finn-Tione, Riveria-Lefiya and Bete-Tiona. When Hades Hat are used, it would still be Bell, Tione, Lefiya and Tiona going invisible.

At the headquarters, the god were in constant communications with all the groups. However, there was lots of nervous energy, with Loki and Hermes pacing non-stop. Everyone was worried about the strength of the enemy. Even with the best think tank and analytics, did they underestimate the enemy? The biggest questions - did Revis level up? How many enemies were as powerful or more powerful as her? Did the enemy have a Riveria-type mage? Will there be any magic using monsters? Will Enyo be involved?

Unable to see deeply into the dungeon, Hestia was in constant communications with Loki and Takemikazuchi. Just like Loki at the headquarter, Hestia is also pacing up a storm in heaven.

The first real action was expected with the floor 17 boss, which should have respawned with more than 2 weeks since the prohibition on travel into the dungeon. With the large group heading down the dungeon, most monsters stayed far away. To save time and use of magic items, as the 1st team approached the 17th floor goliath, Bell and Ais were summoned to take it out. With Bell at level 8, a 1-minute argonaut Ariel/firebolt successfully defeated the goliath without destroying its magic stone. After consuming the magic stone, Wiene felt she was stronger, perhaps close to level 6 before boosting. However without live combat testing, it was difficult to be sure.

The 4 groups continued to head down the dungeon without delay. Very few monsters approached them, but swarms of hornets did. There were no signs of the enemy or 'new' monsters like virgas and violas. Without any trouble, the teams stopped at levels 36, 35 and 34 for the day even though Udaeus was not due to respawn. That evening, the Wiene armor team practiced armor installation. With 7 helpers, Mikoto, Filvis and Raul were able to reduce installation time to 120 seconds. After dinner, Lili and Mikoto continued to practice their magic.

Ais and Bell had the 1st watch. Ais relaxed during the lap pillow. When it was their turn to sleep, Bell carried Ais to their tent and went to sleep.

Back in Orario, Welf was recovering at the infirmary from a mind-zero due to the combined effects of over-exertion and an all-nighter. Hephaestus and Tsubaki were also taking a rest from over-exertion. The next day, they will go right back to making more thin metal layers for armor charging.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31 - A Good Surprise?**

The next morning, half of team 1 & 2 put on their Hades Hat and started descending down the dungeon again. Even though it is the same strategy, they decided it could still provide an advantage over the level 6 or 7 type enemies. Furthermore, the Xenos destroyed the previous traps. They would be installing traps further down the dungeon.

Back in Orario, Welf was recovered and working with Hephaestus and Tsubaki on thin metal layers for armor charging.

At the headquarters, the gods were in still in constant communications with all the groups. As there is no new information, there has been no adjustments in strategy. Meanwhile, Hestia and Loki were having a pacing competition for the ages...

There were no meaningful encounters until the 45th floor colosseum, which still had the same types of monsters. Team 1 slashed right through the colosseum, but team 2 will collect 50 magic stones from destroyed monsters for Wiene. Ais and Bell delivered those to a happy Wiene. After consuming the stones, Wiene felt stronger, and should have reached level 6 pre-boost, though fight testing is needed to be sure. Wiene's progress was reported to headquarters, which was adamant that this was not the time or place to do fight testing. Furthermore, the gods were better judge of power levels anyways. Loki also commented that even Hestia had some trouble reading her progress though it seemed Wiene was halfway from 'leveling'. So the results seem to be pretty consistent.

In the 47th floor colosseum with similar monsters, team 1, team 2 and perimeter 1 all slashed right through. With a slight change in strategy, Hermes had Perimeter 2 stayed and fought with hundreds of monsters. As a result, 153 magic stones were collected for Wiene. The group then quickly caught up with the other groups. After Wiene consumed those stones, a reasonable increase was felt in power level. The inexact power increase was reported to Hermes, who surmised that magic stones of higher level monsters are needed for significant power increase after level 6. In the 48th floor colosseum with similar monsters, team 1, team 2 and perimeter 1 again slashed right through. Hermes again had Perimeter 2 stayed behind, where 181 magic stones were collected for another small power increase for Wiene.

On the 49th floor, they confirmed that no Balor was there. At that point, Freya suggested that traps be set up on the 50th floor in the event of a retreat. That was also a good point for lunch and a rest. Thus, traps were installed on the 50th and the 49th floors. During advantage of the lunch stop, Wiene transformed to her wyvern form and did some quick sparring with Bell. She seemed certain that she was past level 6 pre-boost, but she could not tell exactly where she is. Finn and Riveria concurred that Wiene is fighting at least at level 7 post-boost. After the testing, Wiene transformed back and the groups continued their descent.

When team 1 & 2 reached the 52nd floor, they encountered a varlang dragon. While the dragon was defeated with a 1 minute argonaut Ariel/firebolt, everyone was surprised that the dragon was not harvested by the enemy. From the headquarters, Loki and Hermes asked for the teams to halt their advance while they thought it over. During the stoppage, Finn came up with a theory. Perhaps the enemy was too busy preparing to travel so many floors to harvest? Or perhaps their numbers are sufficiently limited that they did not want the harvesting party to be destroyed? Hermes suggested a bad scenario in which the enemy was busy setting traps and curses. At the same time, Bell and Ais delivered the magic stone to Wiene, who got another small power boost.

After a 10 minute conversation, there were just too many unknowns for all the high level combatants to be deep in the dungeon. Thus, the decision was made to immediately recall the Ganesha familia back to the surface while setting traps at the dungeon entrance area. The decision was made to go all in with the war, but his would provide some protection just in case the enemy escapes the army. As the Ganesha familia rushed back, the 4 groups continued to descend. One more dragon was encountered on the 56th floor. To save Bell's argonaut energy, it was dealt with by Riveria, while Wiene got another small power boost.

After reaching the 59th jungle floor, teams 1 & 2 both reported that there were no signs of demi-spirits or unusual monsters. At that point, Hermes requested that Wiene transform into the wyvern form with her armor and sharp edges installed. They decided her availability in the beginning of a firefight is more important than hiding her identity at this point. With Wiene transformed and armored, she and the Wiene armor group join the perimeter 1 group. After the short stop and a quick dinner, the groups started their march down to the 60th floor of the dark abyss that seems to absorb any stray light...


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 - We Have a Problem**

As team 1 & 2 descended into the dark 60th floor, they were very careful about traps and ambushes. There were a couple false alarms, but eventually team 1 reached the entrance for the 61st floor. The 2 teams maintained their 500 feet gap as team 1 entered the passage way. After a couple minutes, team 2 also entered the entrance. As team 2 cleared the passage way, they could see that team 1 was having trouble fighting a large group of enemy with over 20 fighters.

Ais immediately started Ariel while Bell started charging argonaut. From what they could tell, the enemy seemed to have 5 combatants at level 9 or 10! There also seemed to be about 15-20 level 6 or 7 types. However, there was no sign of Revis anywhere.

Finn also recognized the severity of the situation. He did not see Revis, but he recognized the higher level enemy combatants. They were also in the 27th floor massacre! Thus, they could well be at a similar level as Revis. How many level 9 or 10 enemies are there? It is clear now that there is at least 4 or 5 of them. Is this the end of the world scenario?

The rest of the team 2 ran over to assist team 1. Receiving the communications, the perimeter 1 group (including the Xenos) also started running towards the battle. However, they were 1 level away. Perimeter 2 also headed towards the battle but they are supposed to hold off 1 level away from the battle.

At headquarters, the thought of many many Revis' is causing alarm bells to ring. They may be overmatched. Hearing about the situation, Hestia could only worry but there is no way she can help now.

As part of perimeter 1, Wiene took off, but there were 4 clinging on to her for dear life to hitch a ride. Seeing the narrow entrance for the 61st floor, she stopped to let them off. Together, Wiene, Lili, Mikoto, Filvis and Raul ran to help their friends while putting on their Hades Hats.

Two of the most powerful foes engaged Ais and Bell. Ais recognizes one of them as Ein who seemed to be fighting at Revis' level. They realized they may be overmatched...

With team 2 joining the battle, the higher level combatants faced off against each other. At the same time, the armored wyvern arrived at the battle going straight for the heart of the enemy force. With incredible speed, Wiene quickly got the first 2 kills of the day, using her lightning sharp edges to defeat 2 level 6 enemies. This was incredibly helpful as the enemy had a numbers advantage.

At that point, Ottar appeared to be evenly matched against a level 9 combatant. He also recognized his foe as someone from the 27th floor massacre. Just how many dead adventurers have been modified?

Leaving the level 6 type combatants to the others, team 2 focused on the highest level enemies. Finn/Tione were double-teaming another level 9 type. Tiona/Bete were barely able to keep up with another level 9 type. At the same time, Gareth and Allen were both fighting level 7 combatants. Wiene was also battling the last level 7 enemy. At that point, the Xenos and many perimeter 1 combatants arrived and clashed with 12 level 6 fighters. Asterius got the 3rd kill of the day, as he slashed a level 6 type. Asterius then went to help Wiene to gain an advantage over her level 7 foe.

As the battle continued, Ais and Bell were clearly outclassed, being beaten back by Ein and the level 9 type. Both foes seemed to have very good magic resistance as Ariel/firebolt did not cause much damage.

On the ground, the battle between teams 1 & 2 with the enemy's strongest fighters was pretty even. Finn/Tione were gaining on their level 9, while Bete/Tiona were losing ground to their level 9. Gareth was clearly winning, while Allen was roughly even. As Wiene and Asterius double-teamed the last level 7, she retreated to the main enemy force that was fighting with the perimeter 1 group. Thus, Asterius and Wiene rushed in...

At the same time, among all the fighting, something strange seemed to be happening with the bodies of the enemy killed by Wiene... Is this the work of some magic?

Finally, Riveria and Lefiya (invisible) finished chanting and fired Fusillade Fallarica and Wynn Fimbulvetr at the enemy. These spells defeated 3 level 6 types, but only caused a small amount of damage to the other enemies.

While the spell attack momentarily helped Bell and Ais, it was only momentary. Ein and the level 9 continued to gain ground and landed 2 hits on Bell and several hits on Ais. If it was not for the reactive armor, it would have been disastrous. However, Bell and Ais were totally on the defensive, until Ein finally landed a big hit on Ais. The hit cut deeply and they crashed towards to the ground...


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 - Blood Sport**

Team 1 & 2 both saw Bell and Ais crashed to the ground, but they were stuck in their own battles. They could not lend any assistance.

Ottar was very evenly matched against the level 9, but his armor advantage is starting to show. Ottar had no injuries so far even when the enemy landed 2 hits. On the other hand, the level 9 was bleeding substantially from the 2 hits Ottar landed. Ottar was getting more and more aggressive with the armor advantage.

Finn/Tione were also evenly matched against another level 9. Thanks to the armor advantage, the several hits on them have not drawn blood, while their 3 hits on the enemy did cause some damage. Finn was clearly taking more chances trying to exploit the armor advantage.

Tiona/Bete were barely able to keep up with last level 9 type. They have not landed a hit, but thanks to the armor, the 5 hits on them have not caused damage. They continue to fight defensively to buy time, knowing that some of their comrades have the advantage.

Gareth was clearly winning against his level 7 type. He landed 5 hits on the enemy while not having been hit once. Gareth is getting more and more aggressive in order to get a killing shot.

Allen is fighting roughly even with his level 7 type. Again, the armor advantage was clear. He was not damaged by the 2 hits on him, while the enemy took substantial damage from the 2 hits he landed.

With their magic attacks limited with the enemy's magic resistance, there were limited options for Riveria and Lefiya. Seeing that the main battle is going relatively well, Riveria's main concern was Ais and Bell. Thus, she had Lefiya to continue firing off Fusillade Fallarica while she ran off to help Bell and Ais. Even with magic resistance, Lefiya's attack would cause some damage and would hopeful distract the foes momentarily to provide a short term advantage.

Meanwhile Bell and Ais crashed on the ground far from the main battle, and Ein and the other level 9 were heading towards them with a killing intent. While pouring elixir on Ais, Bell charged argonaut with limit-off to prepare for battle with 2 high level enemies. With the elixir, Ais recovered adequately to get up to help Bell.

Bell was glad that they were able to draw away probably the top 2 enemy fighters from the main battle. Bell knew they were outmatched even when Ais was not injured. Thus, he knew he had to take out 1 of the 2 enemies for them to have any chance. Thus, trusting the reactive armor, Bell launched himself at the level 9 while knowing that both Ein and the level 9 would be able to hit him at the same time. If not for the special armor, it would be a pure suicide strike.

The Hestia knife struck the level 9 with full argonaut charging, instantly killing the level 9. However, Ein got the clean stab at Bell through his breastplate. Unfortunately, that breastplate was already struck once and already fired off 2 of its 3 protective charges. Even with the remaining protective charge, Ein's strike penetrated deeply into Bell.

With the deep injury, Bell fell to the ground. To protect the badly injured Bell, Ais has now put herself between the Bell and Ein who may well be at level 10...


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 - Protecting Our Friends**

As Ais tried to protect Bell from the overpowered Ein, the main battle turned substantially in their favor.

First, Gareth landed his kill shot against the level 7. This caused a substantial cascading effect, as Gareth then went to help Bete/Tiona against their level 9 foe. This then allowed Bete to help Ottar with his level 9.

Ottar already had gained a clear advantage over his level 9. With the armor advantage, Ottar was still uninjured while landing several damaging hits against his enemy. When Bete arrived, he was able to get a good rip at the level 9 from his back.

Finn/Tione also had a clear advantage over the other level 9. The ability to take chances was critical, as the enemy was unable to cause any actual damage inspite of landing quite a few hits. Suddenly, Raul (formerly invisible) got a significant back stab against the level 9.

Allen was starting to gain an advantage over his level 7 as well. His enemy did managed to draw blood once, but Allen landed at least 6 damaging hits on the level 7.

Lefiya continued to launch Fusillade Fallarica attacks that continue to distract and cause small amounts of damage to the enemy.

Riveria ran towards Bell and Ais to help against Ein.

Asterius, the Xenos and the perimeter 1 group also have gained a substantial advantage. They now completely outnumber the 9 remaining level 6 fighters. Lefiya's magic attacks also seemed to have the most effect on this group. Strangely, the level 6 fighters were completely focused on fighting despite their situation. It appears that they are truly an army of the dead.

As Ein started attacking Ais, Riveria arrived to provide assistance. Ais and Riveria were still no match for Ein but that bought time for Wiene to join in. Wiene annouced her presence with a claw to his back. While Ein did jump out of the way, it did cause significant damage. Infuriated with the sneak attack, Ein focused on Wiene. To draw Ein away from Bell and Ais, Wiene flew away from the furious Ein. The maneuver succeeded as Ein chased after Wiene. With Wiene's maneuver, Riveria immediately started healing Bell as Ais poured her remaining elixir on him. With Bell still unconscious, Ais desperately did everything she could to resuscitate Bell.

Even though Wiene put up a good fight, Ein was clearly overpowering her and landed numerous hits. However, the armor protected her until Ein was able to land a deep slash on her neck. That caused Wiene to crash onto the ground. With Wiene defeated, Ein headed back to Riveria, Ais and the still unconscious Bell.

Wiene's crash was very loud, but Mikoto (formerly invisible) suddenly appeared next to her. She poured all her elixir on Wiene's deep wound, while feeding what appeared to be 2 magic stones into Wiene's mouth. With the elixir and the energy from the magic stones, Wiene was starting to recover. At that time, Lili (disguised as snake) suddenly appeared next to the dead level 9 to retrieve his magic stone.

Ein suddenly noticed what was going on with Mikoto and Lili. Realizing the implications, he immediately ran to Lili to stop her. Just as Ein reached Lilli, she was able to throw the level 9's magic stone towards Mikoto and Wiene. Unfortunately, Lili was stabbed by Ein as she threw the stone. Thus, the magic stone landed harmlessly far from its intended target. At that point, Filvis (formerly invisible) suddenly appeared and successfully threw the magic stone to Wiene, who snatched it out of the air and consumed it instantly. Suddenly, the level 9's magic stone caused a significant power surge in Wiene, who got up and was ready for a rematch. As Wiene ran towards Ein, Mikoto and Filvis followed, hoping to get a chance to help Lili.

Since Ein was concerned with Lili and then Filvis, that bought a little time for Bell, who finally woke up. With most of his wounds healed by Riveria and the elixir, he started charging argonaut again despite having just used a full charge to kill the level 9.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 - As the Tables Turn...**

In the main battle, Asfi was finally able to provide headquarters with an update, as the battle seemed very much in their favor. This allowed Loki, Freya, Hermes and others to take a collective deep breathe. Loki also informed Hestia, who can finally stop hyperventilating.

As they shared the good news, Ottar and Bete just defeated the level 9. Ottar then quickly extracted the magic stone and ran towards Bell's group. Immediately, Bete got a good rip at the backside of the level 7 fighting Allen.

The back stab by Raul was a major score on the level 9 fighting Finn and Tione. Afterwards, Finn/Tione/Raul landed many more hits on their badly-injured foe.

Gareth/Tiona have also gained an advantage on the last level 9. Making matters for the enemy, Lefiya fired an arcs ray at her.

Meanwhile, Asterius, the Xenos and the perimeter 1 group have killed 2 more level 6 foes. There were only 7 badly-injured level 6 enemies remaining. However, as Asfi reported, these level 6 fighters seemed to be almost mindlessly fighting back.

At the same time, Ein was now surrounded. Bell had been charging argonaut. Ais was mostly recovered from her injuries. Riveria was next to Ais ready to protect the princess. Finally, Wiene was angry and ready to battle. At the same time, Mikoto and Filvis had reached Lili and were pouring elixir on her. Unfortunately the cut was very close to the heart and caused a lot of internal bleeding. The elixir would help a great deal but she should be taken immediately to the infirmary.

Bell, Wiene, Riveria and Ais combined to get many hits on Ein, but Ein continued to battle. As Riveria noticed, Wiene seemed to be fighting substantially above her 'level'. Even including the 2 level 6s' magic stones and the level 9's magic stone, Wiene should be at most a level 7 in pre-boost power. The armor made a big different as it allows the combatant to take big chances. However, that alone did not explain her apparent power level of a level 9 post-boost from Riveria's viewpoint!

With Wiene kept Ein mostly occupied, Bell was able to fully charge argonaut. Almost in a dream-like state, Bell launched his full argonaut attack with the Hestia knife, which broke Ein's weapon before penetrating. As Ein tried to struggle, Wiene had a huge talon strike that finished him off. In victory, Riveria congratulated everyone on beating a level 10 enemy. At that point, Bell collapsed after having used 2 full-charge argonaut strikes within 10 minutes of each other.

Allen soon landed the kill shot against the level 7 whom recoiled from Bete's strike from the backside. Finn/Tione/Raul finished off the level 9 with Tione's successful deep slash. Gareth/Tiona took down the last level 9 with a mighty slash of her urga. Meanwhile, Asterius, the Xenos and the perimeter 1 group also finished the last of the 7 badly-injured level 6 enemies, who just kept fighting until the last blow.

With the apparent victory, the gods at the headquarters roared in approval. Hestia was also jumping for joy when Ais told her that although Bell suffered from mind-zero, he should recover. While the wounded were being treated, a headcount revealed miraculously that only 4-5 fighters from perimeter 1 perished in the battle. In the mean time, Ottar gave Wiene the level 9's magic stone, and she also received Ein's magic stone.

After their wonderful victory, Finn and Ottar started asking where is Revis? What about Enyo? Are there demi-spirits?

As they were debating what to do next and what other enemies could remain, communications was suddenly cut off from the headquarters.

Furthermore, almost everyone may have instantly lost all of the power from their Falna...


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 - Checkmate and the Reign of Darkness**

After the apparent victory by surface world fighters and the Xenos, the tables quickly turned. First, communications was suddenly cut off from the headquarters. Then, almost everyone may have instantly lost all of the power of their Falnas. As terror set in, the 4 battle groups desperately tried to figure out what happened.

First, they were able to communicate with Hestia, but she also lost communications with the headquarters. She would contact them after trying to figure out what has happened from heaven.

Second, the 4 battle groups figured out that only the Xenos, Wiene, Ais and Mikoto retained their Falna powers, though they are unsure about Bell and Lili who remained unconscious. Team 1 & 2 members still seemed to be receiving 1 level of power from the level boosting group, which was apparently alright. Thus, Finn quickly deduced that the Hestia familia likely retained their powers. So it is likely that unconscious Bell and Lili also retained their powers. Furthermore, it was clear to Finn that something really bad happened at the headquarters but did not apparently affect the Haruhime boosting group.

As most of them had become powerless to protect themselves from deep level monsters, they all agreed that they must try to evacuate immediately. They could try to figure out what happened to headquarters as they head back up to the surface. Hopefully, Hestia would soon have answers for them.

With the decision made, teams 1 & 2 immediately removed the magic stones from the fallen enemy. Combined, there were magic stones from 2 level 9, 3 level 7 and 13 level 6. With the Xenos now the most powerful contingent in the group, it was critical that the magic stones be distributed carefully. From the battle, Wiene and Asterius had become the most powerful, but Wiene had already consumed the magic stones of 1 level 10, 2 level 9, and 2 level 6. Thus everyone agreed that the best strategy to boost the other Xenos as much as possible:

1\. Asterius received 2 level 9 and 4 level 6. The boost appear to take him to at least level 8.

2\. Gros received 1 level 7 and 3 level 6. The boost appear to take him to mid-level 7.

3\. Lyd received 1 level 7 and 3 level 6. The boost appear to take him to mid-level 6.

4\. Ray received 1 level 7 and 3 level 6. The boost appear to take him to mid-level 5.

5\. Wiene did not receive any more. The previous stones appeared to take her to at least mid-level 7 pre-boost.

With the Xenos friends all powered up, the 4 battle groups merged together and quickly headed up the dungeon. The front of the group was headed by Wiene and Mikoto while Lyd and Gros protected the rear. Meanwhile, Ais, Asterius and Ray stayed in the middle to protect against attacks from the side. They realized the colosseums are going to be a real challenge...

As the large group headed up the dungeon, Hestia was trying to peer into the headquarters to see what happened. What she finally saw was disturbing, as all the gods had apparently vanished. After more careful searching, she also saw a red hair woman and some magical entity heading towards Telskyura from the headquarters. She was also able to see that the Haruhime group was apparently unharmed. She then checked in the various familias. Apparently all the gods had gone missing, and their children were desperately trying to figure out what was going on.

Thus, the enemy must have performed a daring end-run and went straight for the checkmate with surprise attacks against the gods on the surface world. Hestia then thought about Welf, but he did not have a communication stone. Fortunately, she was able to see that Welf and Tsubaki were still at the Hestia familia home but Hephaestus was missing. It appeared that Welf and Tsubaki were aware something was very wrong and were to figure out what to do.

Someone, probably Revis and Enyo, had checkmated them. With the report that the other Falnas had ceased to function, something happened to the gods on the surface world. Unfortunately, the surface world would be almost powerless against monsters from the dungeon. The red hair woman and the magical entity were most likely responsible, and they definitely fit the previous description of Revis and Enyo. At the end of the day, their enemies have successfully created a reign of darkness where monsters would run free all over the surface world.

Thankfully, Hestia is in heaven and probably safe from the magic used against her colleagues. Although she is no longer able to go to the surface world to use her divine power, there is still a fighting chance because her familia will retained her Falna powers.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 - Orderly Retreat**

With the tables turned, the combined forces had lost most of their fighting capability. With Wiene, Mikoto, Ais and the Xenos the only remaining ones with any substantial fighting power, they had to protect the rest of the army. In the meantime, they could only hope that Bell will wake up with his Falna powers intact and Hestia could provide more information.

Even though it was getting late in the 'evening', the team realized that they must try to avoid any respawning dragons in the labyrinth on the 51st to 57th floors. Thus they quickly went through the 60th floor to the 59th floor. A large scorpion appeared but Wiene and Mikoto quickly destroyed it. The magic stone was quickly collected for Ray, who would likely benefit the most from that level of magic stone.

The group then entered the labyrinth floors. Fortunately, no varlang dragons have respawned during the last several hours. Two hours later, they cleared the labyrinth levels with a huge sign of relief. It was almost 'midnight' but they wanted to get past the 49th level with the potential respawning of the balor. Fortunately, the balor did not respawn over the few hours during their battle.

Perhaps their biggest challenge would be traversing the colosseums of the 48th, 47th and 45th floors. Finn devised a strategy to use futsunomitama to clear the entrance area as they approach the colosseum. Wiene, Asterius, Ray, Gros and Lyd would then rush in to maintain a beachhead in the colosseum. At which point, Asterius would rush through the colosseum to keep the exit clear with Ais' help in Ariel. After which, Mikoto would use Dio Grail to support Ray, Lyd and Gros to keep the entrance beachhead protected, Wiene would make repeated flights to fly the army from the entrance to the exit. Riveria and Asterius both said Finn was brilliant as always, which made Finn feel better. He had been feeling extremely responsible for the end-run checkmate, in which he believed the enemy made use of the vertical holes between the dungeon floors.

As the group approached the 48th floor colosseum, Mikoto stopped to cast futsunomitama, holding and crushing a good number of monsters near the entrance area. As planned, Wiene, Asterius, Ray, Gros and Lyd rushed towards the entrance following by the rest of the group. As the Xenos got near the entrance area, Mikoto deactivated the spell and rushed towards the entrance herself. Fortunately, the Xenos did not have trouble securing the beachhead to the colosseum, as they were substantially more powerful than the monsters in the colosseum. Mikoto quickly joined them to seal off 1 side of the beachhead using Dio Grail. After that, Asterius and Ais headed across the room to secure the exit area. After the exit was secured, Wiene started ferrying over the rest of the group 4 at a time. In the meantime, Mikoto continued to seal off one side of the beachhead while Gros, Lyd and Ray battled really hard to keep the entrance area secured. With tremendous pressure on the entrance area, Ais had to assist with Aerial strikes, leaving Asterius defending the exit area by himself. Members of group 1 and 2 were first ferried over, as they still had level 1 fighting ability to help Asterius. After 5 trips were made across the room, it became possible for Mikoto and the Xenos to walk across the room with the remainder of the group while Ais provided Aerial attacks from above. After the perilous exercise, Mikoto stayed behind with Ais to keep the exit blocked while the rest of the group ran ahead.

Another colosseum had to be traversed on the 47th floor even though it was past midnight. Without any significant encounters, the group proceeded with the same plan. The goal was to traverse all 3 colosseums before stopping for rest.

As they approached the 47th floor colosseum, Mikoto again stopped to cast futsunomitama. After the spell crushed more than 10 monsters near the entrance area, Wiene, Asterius, Ray, Gros and Lyd rushed the entrance. After the Xenos secured the beachhead, Mikoto again joined them to block off 1 side of the beachhead with Dio Grail. Just like last time, Asterius and Ais headed across the room to secure the exit area. After that, Wiene started ferrying over the rest of the group with Ais using Aerial strikes during loading and unloading. After about 4 trips, Mikoto and the Xenos again walked across the room with the remainder of the group while Ais provided Aerial strikes from above. Thus, another sigh of relief as a second colosseum was successfully traversed. A big concern was that Mikoto was getting very tired, but they really did not want to rest between 2 floors with colosseums.

Without any significant encounters, the group attempted to traverse the 45th floor colosseum. To save Mikoto's energy, the Xenos simply rushed the entrance area and fought to build up the beachhead themselves. Mikoto then joined in to seal off one side of the entrance area with Dio Grail. Asterius and Ais again headed across the room to secure the exit area, while Wiene started ferrying over the rest of the group. Unfortunately, Mikoto collapsed after the 3rd trip, forcing Ais to fight off the monsters to save her. With Mikoto suffering from mind zero, the remaining group had no choice but fight their way across the room. The group did their best with Ais using Aerial and Wiene flew low to do strafing talon attacks. While they finally did make it across the room, there were unfortunately 2 casualties including 1 dead.

The exhausted group continued to trek on for another 6 floors. When they reached the 39th floors, it was 3 in the morning. Three members, Bell, Lili and Mikoto, were unconscious. The Xenos took watch duty in pairs. This allowed Ais to rest as she overused her magic while her injuries were still recovering. Completely exhausted, Ais laid down next to the unconscious Bell and immediately nodded off...


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 - Meeting on the Moon**

5 hours of rest did wonders for the injured and exhausted, although Bell, Lili and Mikoto were still unconscious. When Ais woke up early, she heard Finn and Riveria talking to Hestia about the red hair woman and the magic entity. Fortunately, the enemy seemed to be heading away from Orario and the headquarters towards Telskyura. They all agree that the intention was a surprise attack against the remaining gods in Telskura. At the end of the discussion, Ais told Hestia that Bell is doing better but still sleeping. When Ais let it slipped that they were in the same tent, Hestia screamed "You are not allowed to seduce Bell-kun just because I am not there ... I am the only one who is allowed to seduce Bell ... ..."

After the conversation was over, the relieved Finn and Riveria told Ais "The enemy was apparently trying to eliminate the gods off the surface world. That would presumably allow them to perpetuate their reign of darkness where monsters would control the surface world..." "It is quite possible that they were not aware of Hestia's unique situation and thought they had successfully put all the Orario familias out of business." "Perhaps the magical entity has an ability to detect divine beings and is using it to track down the remaining gods on the surface world. Without power from the Falna, the children cannot fight back, so they probably assumed we would have perished in the dungeon without the Falna's power and there was no way we would have been able to get through the deep floors and the colosseums without the Hestia familias' powers and the Xenos. They probably were not aware of our friendship with the Xenos either since Wiene and the other Xenos were not with us on the previous trip down there ..."

As the group continue to head towards the surface, the next concern was that Udaeus does not respawn early. Fortunately that did not happen. There were some monster encounters but nothing that Ais and Wiene could not readily handle. By lunch time, the group had reached the 18th floor. As they headed to Rivira hoping to search for medical supplies, Bell started to stir and hugged 'Ais'. Except in his delirious state, it seemed Ais was kind of furry. Realizing something was wrong, he opened his eyes, saw Asterius and screamed. Asterius laughed and said "Bell, we are not that type of friends". With that laugh, everyone felt a thousand times better. While Bell was still weak and not in any shape for fighting, he was back and still have his Falna powers. When Bell recovers and with the double boost, they would have their third level 8+ fighter along with Asterius and Wiene while Ais is close behind at level 7+. After waking up, Bell happily settled for Ais' shoulders instead of being cradled by Asterius like a princess. Afterwards, Ais was incredibly relieved and notified Hestia.

After giving Hestia the good news, the conversation shifted what to do. With the enemy heading for Telskyura, there was enough time to hide everyone without Falna powers and to retrieve the Haruhime boosting group. Furthermore, Hestia said even though she cannot return to the surface world, she still had the power to go to the moon. She also said that she could also bring Bell to the moon along with 5 other people, but she would be only able to send Bell back. Thus, the plan was to bring the badly-injured Lili for medical care, as well as Haruhime and 3 of the boosting group to safeguard their leveling capability.

As the group continued to head to the surface, Bell steadily improved after drinking a healing potion. The evening was approaching, but they had a lot to do when they returned to the surface. Fortunately, there were no major encounters because monsters stayed away from the enormous group. When they reached the dungeon entrance, the Ganesha familia members were already removed from the area.

The group then separated. Bell, Ais and Wiene carried the unconscious Lili to the headquarters. Everyone else headed towards a secret hiding location outside Orario, which was Bell's old home in the mountains. For protection, Asterius and Lyd would accompany the large group to the old house. In the meantime, Gros and Ray would stay near the dungeon entrance to prevent monsters from escaping. Everyone continued to be in communications with Hestia, who was monitoring the enemy's location, as they needed to avoid a confrontation at the moment.

When Bell, Ais, Wiene and the unconscious Lili reached the headquarters, they checked that Haruhime's group was still alright. Apparently the enemy was not aware of the group's importance and focused on the gods. Seems like Finn's theory about an ability to detect divine beings may be correct. Bell and Ais kept watch over Haruhime and 3 members of her group while Wiene carried the remaining members to safety back in Orario. After Wiene returned from her ferrying service, Hestia brought Bell, the unconscious Lili, Haruhime and her 3 group members to the moon. Wiene and Ais then headed to rendezvous with everyone else at Bell's old house. When they reached the moon, Hestia's attendants immediately gave Lili medical care while Bell, Haruhime and her 3 group members went to sleep. Being considerate, Hestia did not jump on Bell this time.

The next morning, Bell felt much better after the additional rest, a shower and breakfast. After some maternal nurturing, Hestia updated Bell. As expected, she announced that Bell had leveled to level 7 preboost due to the defeat of the level 9 enemy. Haruhime's update was next but she was still 35% from level 5. After a hug, Hestia sent Bell to his old house in the mountains as she knew there was not much time to waste.

After reaching his old house, Bell found everyone was already there and Wiene back to her vouivre form. They had been busy cleaning up, and there were several wild boar roasting over campfires. However, Finn mentioned that they were no longer leveled up after most of the boost group were released from the spell. At this point, only Bell, Ais, Wiene and Mikoto are the only boosted people. Bell was surprised to see Welf there, but Welf explained that Wiene went to fetch him and Tsubaki from the Hestia familia home.

While they were eating, Hestia contacted the group and updated them with the enemy's location. They were done with Telskyura and headed to a nearby village probably to 'handle' another god. Then Hestia told them the big news...


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 - Counterstrike Force**

Hestia contacted everyone with the big news. She found out what happened to the other gods. Apparently, the enemy had trapped them in the timeless dimension that was previously used to trap the Black Dragon. Because the Gods were taken by surprise, they did not have a chance to release their powers before being trapped by the enemy's magic. The biggest problem is that Cronos was also trapped and he was the only god who had the power to control the use of the timeless dimension. Hestia had no solution, but the first step must be to stop the enemy's campaign to trap the remaining gods left on the surface world. Finally, the other big news was that Lili woke up. She was still weak but she will be alright.

After talking to Hestia, the team sat around and talked about what to do.

Finn: "Let's talk about red hair woman. Since Ein was level 10, it was reasonable to assume that she is at least level 10.

Ais: "Yes, if that is Revis, she was fighting at level 9-10 a bit more than two weeks ago."

Riveria "If it is Revis, she may well have leveled up in that time. She could easily have killed a few underlings to level up. Revis is definitely level 10 if not 11. Let's hope that she is Revis, otherwise we got even more enemies."

Bell "With Wiene, Ais, Riveria and me, we already beat Ein who was also level 10. Riveria was not using her magic much because of magic resistance. So with my level up, I think we can beat another level 10 if she stayed at the same power level. "

Wiene "We were beating Ein the level 10 pretty badly so I think we can take her on. I think I may have leveled up once also since. My lightning edges were already used up when we fought Ein."

Tione "Well, what if red head is level 11?"

Tiona "I think they can still take her - argonaut-lun leveled up and no longer injured. And he already used his hero's strike against the level 9. And Wiene leveled up. Ais is also no longer injured. Riveria was not fighting that much anyway."

Riveria "I would agree. Wiene was pretty much taking up most of Ein's attention. And Asterius is a much better fighter than me lol"

Asterius "Riveria, don't sell yourself short. But I think we can take her on even if she is level 11"

Finn "Good grief, it would be Bell, Ais, Wiene, Asterius, Mikoto - it could be a 5-on-1. Wait, what about Enyo or whoever that magic being is"

Riveria "Yes that is the elephant in the room"

Gareth "Well it seems their target are the gods. They ignored Haruhime and did not bother to kill off the Ganesha familia. I guess they knew all the children become powerless if the gods are banished"

Bell "Yes, that may be our chance because they assumed we are all monster food right now deep in the dungeon"

Finn "We were so played. They went after the king and queen while we were fighting the bishops and rogues"

Ais "I hope there are no more fighters deep in the dungeon... I still think we can take on the red hair whether she is Revis or not.

Ottar "Yes, you guys can definitely take her on. Now if she is level 12, then may be not..."

Tione "What do we know about the magical being?"

Bete "Not much... Well she seems to be able to create the hybrid beings that have magic crystals. She somehow mixes some plant magic in that"

Lefiya "Right, does that mean she gives them a Falna? That plant magic may be involved in those new monsters..."

Finn "Not sure, if she does, that would make her more a god than a spirit. But if she was a god, why did no one realize who she is"

Bell "And it can send gods into the timeless dimension. I remember reading that there were some older gods that no longer exists..."

Ottar "But it probably needs to be close to its target to do that. That is probably why they are going all over the place. Bell, you read a lot lol"

Ais "Yes, we need to keep our distance from the magical being. And we need to think that there still could be some demi-spirits in their arsenal"

Asterius "Why dont we take an accounting of what we have. None of us Xenos have tested our powers since all those magic stones. Thanks by the way"

Finn "No, it was you guys saved our behinds, thank you."

Asterius "Well Gros and Ray are not here, but I know their rough power levels compared to mine and Lyd"

Asterius "Bell, let's do it"

As Bell sparred against the Asterius and then Lyd, everyone got a good feel for their power levels. The consensus was that Asterius' power level is mid-8 and Lyd was mid-6.

Asterius "If I am mid-8, then probably Gros is a mid-7 and Ray is a mid-5." "Well Gros and Ray would need to stay near the dungeon anyway to keep the monster population under control and to prevent any from escaping to the surface. We are already coordinating with the other Xenos to do this"

Finn "Great that you guys are taking care of that. We have not seen any virga or viola because they were probably harvested. But with the main force destroyed and Revis probably on the surface, they may make a come back. That would be a problem if they ever made it to up the dungeon like they did before"

Bell "If it was the intent of the enemy to wreak havoc by releasing monsters to the surface, then they would be unhappy if that does not happen."

Ais "Right, so sooner or later, this could be a flash point. Gros and Ray need to be careful"

Riveria "Hestia is already monitoring the location of the enemy. But lets make sure she understands that Gros and Ray are going to be near the dungeon entrance. And that will likely be a flash point after the enemy is done trying to capture the gods on the surface"

Bete "Wait, Hestia said we need to protect the remaining gods - where are they?"

Tione "Yes, we need to warn them. Perhaps they can hide or even help us fight. Much better for them to go back to heaven than be trapped in the timeless dimension"

Finn "Let's call Hestia back right now. Let's hope she knows where the remaining gods are"...


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 - Who is Left?**

The group decided to ask Hestia about the locations of the other gods. Hestia actually did not have the power to figure that out. But she did know that the enemy has not been to Melen or Rakia yet. Finn also asked Hestia if there were any missing gods or older gods, but Hestia was not aware of any. Bell mentioned the concern for Gros and Ray near the dungeon, and Hestia said she will watch out for that. Apparently the enemy was still focusing on wrapping up the area around Telskyura so there is a little time. Before Hestia got off the call, she said that she has seen an attack. Apparently the magical being shoots some type of bubble at a god. After being enveloped, the god disappears and is trapped in the timeless dimension. She added "Poor flatsy did not deserve that..."

After the call, Finn said "You need to avoid that bubble. If it can trap a god, it can probably trap you"

Welf "Hey, I don't mind a long nap. By the way, your armor is now ready"

Bell "Welf, that is not funny. Thanks for the armor though. Tsubaki, you too, thanks"

Welf "Wiene, we are working on recharging your lightning edges. It will need about 2 hours"

Wiene "Yes they worked really well."

Allen "Yes Welf, your armor saved all of us"

Ottar "Yes, it gave me a huge advantage against someone that was roughly my equal"

Bell "Everyone wants your armor now. You are going to be rich. Without your armor, I would have died with my suicide strike"

Ais "Yes Welf, thank you for your armor. I am alive because of it"

Welf "Glad to hear. I just want some sleep lol"

Tsubaki "Welf, you have surpassed Hephaestus. May be she will give you a reward after she is rescued"

Welf "OMG, I forgot she was captured. We need to save her"

Bell "Don't worry, we want you to get your reward : ) "

Steamed, Welf chased Bell around the yard.

Lefiya "While the kids are playing, let's get back to the issue of the remaining gods. The enemy has not been to Melen and Rakia"

Finn "Yes, that means Ares and Njord may not have been captured"

Ais "If Ares finds out, he is going to invade Orario again. Really bad timing"

Riveria "They are still busy chasing gods around Telskyura, so this is our chance"

Bete "Yes, they probably do not realize the Hestia familia is still functional. If they did realize that, they would have made sure we perished in the dungeon"

Gareth "Good point, they would have come back in to make sure we were monster food"

Ottar "That seems to indicate that there are no fighter left in the deep levels. Or they would have come after us."

Tione "Another good point. Then you guys will ONLY have to beat the red hair woman and the magic being"

Asfi "Yes, that means the red hair woman is almost definitely Revis and the magical being is probably Enyo"

Finn "Even if this works, there is no way to save the gods..."

Riveria "Right, Cronos was trapped also, and he is the only god with control over the timeless dimension."

Tiona "Let's worry about that if we win over Revis and Enyo. I am sure argonaut-kun can do it."

Bete "You have a lot of confidence in Bell"

Tiona pulled wolf ears and tied up Bete.

Ottar "Wow, Bete is just a pussy cat. You should pull the whiskers too"

Finn "Well I guess you folks may as well have fun. We need to stay safe here. Unfortunately we are really useless against Revis now.

Bete "We are the useless ones now..."

Ais "You guys figured out what to do so that is important."

Bell "Yes, we are a team and we always need to pick each other up."

Asterius "I am not able to travel fast enough and I am too heavy even for Wiene. I think Gros is a better match for your mission. I am going to ask him to join you, while I go protect the dungeon entrance. Let me know if I am needed."

Riveria "That makes sense. They need speed right now, though your fighting ability will be missed"

Tione "So the attack force is Bell and Ais, Wiene, Gros, Lyd and Mikoto."

Tiona "Right, they can fly everywhere because Wiene can carry Lyd and Mikoto."

Finn "So let's warn Njord in Melen. After that, we need to decide whether to go to Ares in Rakia. It would be a big problem if he decides to invade Orario right now..."

Riveria "I have a good relationship with Njord, so I may be able to help"

Finn "Right, Riveria should probably go along, but we need to keep her safe"

Ais "Ok, we will bring her back after meeting with Njord"

After lunch, Wiene transformed back to a wyvern and the armor and lightning sharp edges were installed. The new team would be traveling to Melen to find Nord...


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41 - Old Friends and Difficult Decision**

The team was on the way to Melen to warn the God Njord about the imminent threat from the enemy. Riveria volunteered to go along because of her good relationship with Njord. While Ais and Bell used Ariel, Wiene in her battle armor carried Lyd and Riveria. Gros would be meeting them in Melen.

Meanwhile, Hestia monitored the movements of the enemy while trying to figure out who the magical being was. After the call, she also started checking in the history books for missing gods and elder gods. Perhaps the biggest question though was how to rescue the other gods even if they manage to defeat the enemy? Would the defeated enemy assist in retrieving the gods, or would they be scorched earth?

Back at the mountain hideout, Welf continued to work on armor and magic weapons with assistance from Tsubaki. They were trying to get every bit of advantage against the enemy. Mikoto did not go on the Melen trip to reduce the amount of weight Wiene needed to carry. So she stayed with the large group in case her magic skills were useful. Bete, Gareth and Ottar took initiative to build another log cabin as there was not enough room in Bell's house. They were quite efficient and managed to cut the needed number of trees in one afternoon. By tomorrow, there should be enough space to house everyone inside. They were also fortunate that hunting was good, so there was plenty of food.

Finn though kept mostly to himself thinking about what he did wrong and what could be done. The decision on Ares would need to be made after the Melen trip. Would they trust Aries would not try to take advantage? ...

Since they did not want the residents to be aware of the Xenos, Wiene, Lyd and Gros stayed a good distance from the village. Ais, Bell and Riveria then walked into town. After arriving at Melen, it was not difficult to find Njord.

Riveria saw Njord a few months ago, but he was surprised to see her again. Riveria took Njord to a quiet location to tell him about what has been happening. Njord was shocked that he was one of the few gods remaining on the surface world. Riveria said they do not know what Njord will do when the enemy come to him, but it will probably be soon. He was totally shocked that an enemy fighter is at least level 10.

Before they left, Njord promised Riveria that he will not mention the existence of the team under any circumstances. He understood that it is vital that they maintain their tactical surprise advantage. They left him with a communication stone, and reminded him to be careful and be ready to evade the bubble that would send him into the timeless dimension. Having warned Njord, they headed back to the mountain hideout. They were also able to bring back fish for dinner...

After they left, Njord contemplated his options. With a level 10 fighter and an entity with god-like powers, he would have no chance if he not use his divine powers. If he used his powers, he would need to go back to heaven even though he got to love life on the surface world. If he did not use his powers, he goes into a timeless trap. Having decided on his response, he thought about his colleagues who were not given the same opportunity.

When they returned to the hideout, it was almost dinner time. Everyone saw the fish and were pleased with the choice of roasted boar or grilled fish. Bete and Ottar showed Bell where they will be putting up the 2nd cabin. All they can do now is relax and wait to see what the enemy does.

After dinner, they chatted over the campfire to discuss what to do. Melen would be the ideal location for the final battle, but Rakia is closer to Telskyura so the enemy will likely go there first. The final decision was that Ares was just too undependable and they cannot afford an invasion. They were the last chance because there is no one else to fight the enemy. Unfortunately, they will not be able to warn Ares. Bete and Finn were incredibly frustrated with the decision. Tione was able to cheer up Finn a bit, but Bete kept saying "We are the useless ones now..." Riveria was worried about Loki and the other gods, but Gareth said that they probably don't feel anything in the timeless dimension.

That night, Bell and Ais were able to enjoy a lap pillow. It has been a couple days due to Bell's mind zero and the trip to the moon...


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42 - Total Frustration**

Next morning, Hestia was updated about Njord. Hestia also told them that the enemy is leaving the Telskyusa area. She will know later today if they are heading to Rakia. Finn told Hestia that Njord now has a communication stone, so that she can contact him directly if needed.

The team then called Njord to let him know that the enemy is on the move. Njord replied "I have made up my mind. Better fight and go back to heaven then go in some bubble possibly for all time... but please tell me what you know about the magic entity's power"

Finn responded "To be honest, we are not sure. We know about it shooting the bubble that traps the other gods. There is a good chance this is some type of divine entity. We are not sure if the fighter has its Falna or not"

Njord "OMG, who could that be?"

Riveria "We do not know. Hestia does not know either. Do you know of any elder gods or any other gods that went missing?"

Njord "I have no idea"

Ais "Bell mentioned he saw in history books that some elder gods may be missing"

Njord "Ok, but let's make plans on how we are going to fight together"

Gareth "With the level 10 fighter, your children would not stand a chance"

Njord "I will send them on a mission and I will hang out at the town square sipping my tea lol"

Finn "The team needs to stay out of sight so they will be outside of town. They can swoop in quickly. Bell and Ais can Ariel. We have a wyvern on our side named Wiene who will be bringing in a young fighter named Mikoto and a Xenos lizardman named Lyd. Then there is also a Xenos gargoyle named Gros"

Njord "Wow, why can everyone fly except me"

Riveria "Fjord, Wiene the wyvern is about a level 9, Bell will be level 9 also. Ais is level 7.

Njord "Wow, so they should have a good chance against the fighter. I guess I will deal with the magic entity"

Bell "We will do the best we can"

Ais "We all have the communication stone. You can reach Hestia using it also."

With the conversation done, the team went about its business. Bete, Gareth and Ottar started assembling the log cabin. Mikoto went hunting for food with Wiene. Welf and Tsubaki added reactive charging to Mikoto's armor. Bell started reading his old history books. It was strange for these familia children to have so much free time on their hands...

After a couple hours, Bell found the book that talked about the missing elder gods. In particular, there was an elder god called Io.

Bell said "Io had a big disagreement with elder gods that give birth to younger gods like Zeus, Hera, Freya, Loki..."

Bell continued "The big disagreement happened while the heavens, surface world and dungeon were still forming."

Finn "We should ask Hestia"

Ais started reading from the book "Right, Io thought the other gods were wrong in trying to build a world with values like good versus bad."

Bell "Yes, Io wanted to build a world where the strongest ruled and the weak are consumed so the strong can get stronger."

Riveria "I see"

Bete "I think we found our missing god"

They called Hestia, but Hestia was not aware of Io. Is Enyo actually Io?

Meanwhile, Welf and Tsubaki were working nonstop on magic swords for their mission. By dinner time, they gave Mikoto a ice-based long sword. Bete, Ottar and Gareth also finished the log cabin so everyone could sleep inside.

Dinner was roasted boar and grilled venison steak. At least the food was good. After dinner, Hestia called back. Apparently the enemy was heading to Rakia. Everyone was distraught they could not warn Ares and his familia. Bete and Finn were really angry, and Bete kept saying "We are so useless to have to watch from the side..."

Finn "I know this is incredibly frustrating. But we must keep our tactical advantage"

Riveria "Yes, Bete, remember we may be the last chance for the surface world"

Finn "The question is where next"

Meanwhile, Welf and Tsubaki were still working on a lightning sword for Lyd.

That night, Bell gave Ais a lap pillow while reading the history books. They just spent a quiet time together. Another day of reckoning is coming...


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43 - Red Alert**

Next morning, Welf and Tsubaki were still finishing a lightning sword for Lyd. Apparently they stayed up all night.

When Riveria woke up, she called Hestia for an update. Hestia said that the enemy just reached Rakia. Riveria then went to make a hot drink for Tsubaki and Welf...

The team then called Njord to let him know that the enemy is in Rakia. So he may be next. Njord laughed "I already sent my children on a mission to an island. I hope I will see them again. I will be sipping tea in the town square all day and tomorrow and the day after"

Meanwhile, everyone started waking up. They all slept better in the cabin and were in a better mood. Breakfast was cooked and everyone gathered around to chat.

Welf and Tsubaki joined the breakfast late because they were finishing Lyd's lightning sword. While Tsubaki showed Lyd how to launch the lightning, Welf cramped the food down and immediately went back to start on a flaming sword for Gros. Lyd was very impressed and thanked Tsubaki for the amazing weapon.

After the demonstration of the lightning sword, the conversation restarted and there was a lot to talk about. Apparently Bell found out more information on Io last night reading the history books.

Bell "Io was actually banished to the dungeon while the world was forming, so Io may have never left the dungeon."

Finn "So that matches what Revis said about Enyo wanting to see the surface world"

Ais "I also read something about an ancient evil god that practiced forbidden magic and like to mutilate living beings. but there was no name given to this god"

Riveria "Well this all sounds pretty suspicious. It is good that you two children enjoy reading together..."

Ottar "So that is what you two together do at nights, reading history books?"

Tiona laughed "Was there a book about birds and bees too..."

Ais "No, should I try it?"

After that, Bell fainted with Ais being the ultimate airhead while Riveria coughed and sprayed tea everywhere.

Before lunch, Hestia said the enemy was done in Rakia and Ares had disappeared like the rest. She told them that the bubble came from the entity's hand and traveled rather quickly. She added that the entity got within 10 feet of Ares before using its magic. So Ares really had no time to react. With that, Finn and Bete could not listen any more and went for a walk. Meanwhile, Hestia called Njord to warn him of the tactic, and Njord said that he will sip his tea where it would be difficult for the enemy to get close to him without being obvious.

A hour later, Hestia reported that the enemy was headed north and could either go into Orario or head towards Melen. With that information, the team started getting ready and called Njord. They are going to head to Melen.

After packing, Bell, Ais, Wiene, Mikoto and Lyd would go first while Gros waited for his flaming sword to be ready. The trip was uneventful, and they set up camp about 1 mile from Melen. Njord went over to meet with the team since he had not meet the Xenos before. He was shocked to see the size of Wiene, who had transformed back to her wyvern form and already fulled armored. Njord soon headed back to town, while the team set up camp and ate dinner.

Finn called to let them know that the enemy would not arrive before noon the next day, and Gros should be there right after breakfast. Poor Welf and Tsubaki may be working overnight again...

That night, while Bell and Ais were enjoying lap pillowing, Ais asked about bees and birds...


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44 - Plan and Execute**

Early next morning at the mountain hideout, Welf and Tsubaki finished Gros' flaming sword after staying up all night. As Gros headed off to Melen, Welf collapsed from mind zero. While Tsubaki thought about having some fun with Welf, she was too tired... Tsubaki then carried him to the cabin where others helped take care of him. Exhausted herself, Tsubaki also collapsed.

Finn and Riveria just got up and started talking to Hestia "Hestia, are you there? Gros is on his way..."

Riveria "Hestia, are you there?"

Hestia "... Bell-kun ..."

Finn "We need you, please wake up"

Hestia "Bell-kun, just a little more..."

Riveria "Stop playing with your teddy bear, NOWWWW!"

Hestia "...Oh ... what is going on"

Finn "Gros is on his way, where is the enemy"

Hestia "... ... oh, they are definitely going to Melen, 3-4 hours away."

After confirming there was no other news, Finn and Riveria updated Bell and his team and also that Welf would be alright despite the mind zero. They then called Njord to let him know.

In their plan, as the day unfolds, Hestia will continue to provide real-time reconnaissance of the enemy position and heading. This would allow the assualt team to time their attack while converging on the town square from different directions. As the enemy approached on the main road from the northeast, Gros (invisible) would circle around to follow so he can attack from the backside. Wiene would be diving in from the southeast, but would stay close to Bell and Ais until ~ETA because she has trouble communicating in her wyvern form. Bell (invisible) and Ais (invisible) would attack using Ariel from the northwest. Finally, after the other attacks started, Lyd (invisible) and Mikoto (invisible) would attack from another direction. 1 hour before the enemy's ETA, Bell and his team would start to move into their position.

At the hideout, everyone felt powerless, but they learned how their gods felt during the children's missions. In heaven, Hestia was carefully monitoring every step of the enemy.

... ... About an hour ahead of the ETA, Hestia again provided the position, heading and timing. With that confirmation, the team went into action. They would wait for Njord to react to the enemy, and then Bell/Ais would get the first strike with Wiene coming in for the second strike. The rest of the team would then add their attacks.

Gros (not invisible) flew around Melen and approached the enemy from their rear. He was flying from tree-top to tree-top while staying quite far away to prevent detection. He planned to dive in to try out his new flaming sword.

Bell, Ais and Wiene stayed to the south of Melen close to where Wiene would be starting their dive attack. About 5 minutes before ETA, Bell and Ais would ahead to their planned position from the northwest, with Bell using a 1 minute argonaut charge weapon attack.

Mikoto (invisible) and Lyd (invisible) were on foot at the southeast edge of town. While they would be in direct line-of-sight of the enemy, they would take cover to hide, but assume the enemy would be turning to face the other team members. They realized the enemy would have strong magic resistance, but at least they would add to the enemy's problems.

Meanwhile at the hideout, there was nothing they could do except listen in on the communications. Hestia was doing the same in heaven while monitoring each of the enemy's moves.

... 10 minutes before ETA - the enemy close to edge of town from northeast on the main road. Team in position and approaching target

... 5 minutes before ETA - the enemy at edge of town. Team in position.

... 3 minutes before ETA - the enemy walking towards center of town. Team in position.

... 1 minute before ETA - the enemy saw Njord and heading towards him. Team moving in.

... then ETA

1\. The enemy and Njord made eye contact when they were 15 feet from Njord.

2\. The entity immediately fired a bubble a Njord.

3\. Bell (invisible) and Ais (invisible) moved in to strike from the northwest...

4\. Wiene flying low from the southwest timing her attack to take place ~15 seconds after Bell (invisible) and Ais (invisible) initiate their attack ...

5\. Gros heading in from behind the enemy...

6\. Mikoto (invisible) about 50 feet away behind a wall chanting...

7\. Lyd (invisible) next to Mikoto ready to rush in...


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45 - Ugly Fight**

The enemy and Njord made eye contact when they were 15 feet apart. The entity immediately launched a bubble at Njord. Njord was able to activate his divine powers and evaded the bubble. The bubble then hit the side of a building, causing a portion of the building disappear.

After seeing the bubble attack, the assault team converged from different directions.

1\. Bell (invisible) and Ais (invisible) rushed in using Ariel from the northwest.

2\. Wiene dived in for the second strike from the southeast with both talons armed with lightning sharp edges.

3\. Gros rushed infrom behind the enemy from the northeast with his flaming sword.

4\. Lyd (invisible) rushed in from 50 feet away from the southwest with his flaming sword.

5\. Mikoto (invisible) was chanting futsunomitama about 50 feet away from the southwest, hoping her magic attack will have some effect.

When the entity saw that Njord evaded its bubble and activated his divine powers, it said "Young god-ling, very impressive. You are the first one to avoid my attack. But you have no chance against me."

Njord "Who are you?"

Entity "I am Io, some call me Enyo. You can read my power, resistance is futile"

As Njord started to speak, Ais (invisible) and Bell (invisible) launched their attacks.

1\. Bell swung at the red hair woman with a 1 minute charge attack with the Hestia Knife.

2\. The woman was Revis, and at the last minute, she noticed something at the last second and managed to move enough to avoid a kill shot. However, Bell did get a good slash that caused some serious damage.

3\. Ais swung and hit Enyo with her sword attack, but there was no damage.

4\. When Revis saw Bell and Ais and she said "Impossible, how do you have your powers?"

5\. When Revis turned to Bell and Ais, Wiene was able to get a clean hit at Enyo and Revis. There was no damage to Enyo. While it was not a kill shot, Wiene's strike caused severe damage. Revis was only able to turn her body by a small amount to protect herself.

6\. Gros came in from Revis' back and got another blow in with the flaming sword. Revis had many serious injuries now but she seemed to be extremely strong.

7\. Lyd (invisible) hide behind another building about 20 feet away from the battles. With 4 members fighting Revis and Enyo immune from their attacks, he decided to wait to see when he could make a difference.

8\. Mikoto (invisible) also noticed that her attacks would be powerless against Enyo so she stopped chanting. She wanted to keep her invisibility for when she could make a difference. So she restarted chanting futsunomitama from scratch to see if it would be useful next time around.

Suddenly realizing that members of the dungeon attack army survived and kept their Falna powers, Revis and Enyo looked at each other with surprise. However, they decided there was no time to talk because they had no idea how many members of the large army can still fight. Revis then jumped to fight with Ais, Bell and Wiene, while Enyo launched another bubble attack at Njord. Njord was able to evade the 2nd bubble, which impacted the ground, leaving a large hole.

Enyo realized that she must defeat Njord before she could banish him. She started seriously attacking him with hundreds of wiggling bright green ribbons of energy. Njord was using his divine power blasts to keep ribbons to keep them off of him off, but it was clear that Enyo was stronger.

Revis "Aria, I don't know how you managed to keep your powers, but you are no longer useful so today will be your last." Revis then fought against all four of them. She was clearly much stronger than the last fight by at least 1 level...

In the last couple minutes, Bell and Ais noticed that some of her deep wounds seem to be bleeding less ...


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46 - Never Had a Chance**

In the battle of divine powers, Enyo had the clear advantage. Njord could only keep defending by blasting away Enyo's hundreds energy ribbons, which had him surrounded...

Enyo "Njord, just give up. The more you struggle, the more it is going to get worse for you"

Revis was fighting Ais/Bell, Wiene and Gros. Even though it was 1-on-4, she was pushing all of them back. Bell and Ais realized that she must be at least level 11.

Bell's biggest concern was that Revis' wounds appear to be slowly getting better. The regeneration was much slower than the Black Goliath, but she was definitely regenerating. He realized that a game-changer was needed and started charging argonaut without limit. Hearing the loud bell chimes, Revis "I don't know what trick you have up your sleeve now. You sure have a lot of tricks"

Wiene was doing as well as she could. Revis was almost as strong as she was, but much faster and more skillful. Being the largest and the biggest target, she took the brunt of Revis' attacks. A couple landed but were neutralized by the reactive armor.

Ais was helping but she knew that she was not strong enough to land a hit. Revis was just too strong and too powerful. She felt like a level 1 fighting a level 5... If Bell was not actively helping her, she would already have been defeated.

Gros realized that his strikes were not getting anywhere either. If not for their combined attacks, he knew that Revis would have killed him in 20 seconds...

Meanwhile, Lyd (invisible) and Mikoto (invisible) kept waiting for their opportunity. Lyd was ready with his lightning sword, and Mikoto kept restarting the futsunomitama chant over and over again.

From heaven, Hestia was watching the battle. She can tell Njord was going to lose, and then the team would have no chance against Enyo. She kept hoping for a miracle, but the children simply would have no chance against an elder god. She updated the group at the mountain hideout, but there was nothing anyone could do.

After several intense minutes of fighting, Revis landed a big strike on Gros, who fell on the ground.

Realizing that he had to take action, Lyd (invisible) came in from Revis' backside and cut Revis with the lightning blade. With a lot of damage, Revis was furious "Another pest, you are next"

With Revis focused on Lyd for the moment, Bell, Ais and Wiene tried to take advantage. However, Revis quickly recovered and they missed.

At that point, argonaut was fully charged. Bell knew he must hit her with it or it would all be wasted. Thus, he went for a 'suicide strike' with a hero's strike using the Hestia Knife. Trusting his armor, he launched himself completely exposed to land the argonaut attack on Revis. They both connected with their strikes. Bell stabbed Revis deeply while she hit him straight in the chest with her blade. Thankfully, the breastplate's reactive charge ignited and stopped her attack from causing damage. After the deep stab, Revis realized something was very strange with his armor. If she cannot cut Bell, she knew she could not defeat him. Thus, she decided to buy time, as she knew Enyo is going to win.

Revis headed with a super-fast maneuver to head away from the town square. Seeing Revis' retreat, Bell and Ais gave chase in Ariel. Realizing it is now or never, Bell started charging argonaut again with no limit. Wiene also took off after Revis. Without their speed, Lyd did not join the chase so he turned to face Enyo...

Enyo was enjoying her advantage over Njord, but noticed Lyd and started firing a bubble at him. Seeing the bubble, he fired lightning at it causing the bubble to veer off-course. This bought Njord some time as Enyo was defocused.

Annoyed at Lyd's defiance, Enyo sent a few energy ribbons to attack Lyd. Unfortunately, there were too many for him to deflect with the lightning. His arms and legs were tied up and his energy seemed drained by the wiggly ribbons. Unable to fight back, he was helpless. Enyo then launched its bubble towards him. Fortunately at the last second, Gros was able to use his flaming sword to send a column of fire that deflected the bubble, resulting in another large hole in the ground. Enyo was now really annoyed "Inferior beings are pests that need to be exterminated". Enyo released the defeated Lyd and sent those ribbons against the injured Gros. Gros was also unable to deflect away the ribbons and was tied up by the ribbons that drained his remaining energy. Mikoto watched with tears in her eyes, but there was nothing she could do. The first priority was to keep the element of surprise, so she could only watch as Enyo sent more bubbles that made Lyd and Gros disappear...


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47 - Conclusion of the Battle**

Revis realized something was strange with Bell's armor because her attack should have cut deeply. Instead, only a thin metal sheet peeled off the armor after the strike while Bell was completely uninjured. This was an obvious game-changer, as he could afford to use suicidal attacks that completely open himself up. At the same time, the loud bell chiming sound was some type of energy collection that energized an attack with speed and strength far exceeding his skill level. Realizing that she cannot win, Revis used an incredibly-fast maneuver to escape from the battle. She needed to buy time for Enyo to win as it was clear that Enyo was winning. Furthermore, her regeneration needed a lot more time to be useful...

Bell and Ais chased using Ariel, but they were barely gaining on Revis. Realizing that they would not be able to catch Revis quickly enough, Bell's stopped his argonaut charging. He must catch up in order to use an argonaut attack with the Hestia knife. Launching an argonaut firebolt would be far easier, but did not make sense because of Revis' magic resistance. Bell knew he only had one chance because he would likely collapse after using argonaut a second time...

Ais also noticed Revis' relatively-slow regeneration. As if an enemy at level 11 or higher was not bad enough, the additional regeneration ability made her virtually invincible. They needed to have a big numbers advantage, the armor advantage, Hestia's surveillance, and Finn's planning to have a chance. Thus, she knew that Revis could not be allowed to escape. Wiene was flying as fast as she could. She knew Revis is an incredible threat to everyone she cared about and were all so kind to her. She would do everything in her power to destroy this enemy.

Meanwhile, Enyo just sent Lyd and Gros to the timeless dimension. With the disruptions, Njord had been able to fight off the wiggly energy ribbons, but the disruptions have been terminated. As the battle continued between the divine powers, Enyo had Njord on the ropes again. Njord could barely blast away Enyo's hundreds of energy ribbons, which had him completely surrounded. Having seen the results of the energy drain on Gros and Lyd, Njord knew what was waiting for him...

At the same time, Mikoto watched the divine powers battle, but it was obvious Njord was losing. Mikoto had to sadly watched when Enyo made Lyd and Gros disappear, but she knew she had to maintain her tactical surprise by safeguarding her invisibility. All she could do is keep rechanting futsunomitama and hope that she gets a chance to make a difference.

After several more minutes of the cat and mouse, the energy strands finally caught Njord. While Njord struggling to get free, Enyo launched a bubble at him. At that point, Mikoto realized this was her last chance and finished chanting her spell. As Enyo started to launch the bubble, Mikoto activated futsunomitama to try to capture Enyo while Enyo was launching her bubble, hoping for a miracle.

The interaction of futsunomitama and the bubble caused a massive explosion. Furthermore, the explosion was very unusual - instead of just exploding, the explosion quickly imploded on itself. This caused a tiny dark black sphere to appear between Enyo and Njord. In an instant, both Enyo and Njord were sucked into the black sphere. The black sphere was not done and started to suck everything else around it inside including fences, trees, windows,... Mikoto was desperately clinging to a building but eventually was also sucked towards the black sphere. Fortunately as quickly as the sphere appeared, it disappeared, leaving Mikoto unconscious on the ground.

From heaven, Hestia was watching the battle and realized she just witnessed a miracle. The interaction of the time bubble trap interacted with futsunomitama and apparently caused a temporary portal into the timeless dimension. She decided to confirm what happened in the timeless dimension. After some checking, she was able to detect that both Enyo and Njord were also trapped there. As expected, Lyd and Gros were also there. If she only had a way to free everyone from the timeless dimension, all the gods can then gang together and defeat Enyo. Though there would be still some concern about Thanatos also being set free.

Even with the chase going on, Revis heard and saw the explosion and implosion. She knew there was some massive collision of divine powers. Revis assumed that Enyo may have won because Enyo had the upper hand. However, Revis suddenly collapsed and fell onto the ground.

Bell and Ais were both aware of the explosion and implosion. They had a bad feeling that was Njord losing, but they had no choice but kept chasing and fighting. When they saw Revis collapse, they slowed down and were prepared for some type of trick.

While Bell and Ais slowed down, Wiene did not. She knew it could be a trick, but she did not care. She was going to protect Bell, Ais and everyone who were so kind to her. She went full force and dug both talons into Revis. Both talons punctured through Revis before both lightning charges exploded, sending Revis' body flying into a tree.

Realizing this is not a trick, Ais and Bell ran towards Revis. She was unconscious and bleeding badly. Not sure whether Revis was dead, Ais set up to take a kill shot. Bell yelled for Ais to stop, and she listened. Revis was clearly defeated but there was no explanation for why she collapsed. Bell just could not kill in cold blood, and Revis may have answers they needed to free the captured gods. However, what do they do with the unconscious Revis who was bleeding profusely. Ropes could not possibly hold her. They could not take a chance with the fate of the surface world at stake, so they had to make a decision quickly.

While they were trying to decide, Hestia screamed "Bell, hold on to her. Then I would be able to beam you and Revis to the moon! It will be an one-way trip for her though"

Bell and Ais quickly agreed. Thus, the unconscious Revis have become the captive of Hestia and her attendants on the moon...

Everyone at the mountain hideout had been listening to the communications. They suddenly realized that they may have won!


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48 - Celebration**

On the moon, Hestia and her attendants were there to meet Bell and the unconscious Revis. After Revis were restrained with metal braces, they started treating her wounds.

Hestia then looked at Bell with tears in her eyes. She thought she may never see Bell again if he got trapped in the timeless dimension. She quickly told Bell that Ais and everyone were safe because Enyo was trapped along with Njord, Gros and Lyd in the timeless dimension. So they could spend a few minutes together.

Hestia then called Ais "Ais, please go check on Mikoto. It is getting ugly there and Mikoto is unconscious. I will check over Bell a little before sending him back down"

Ais replied "Ok, please send him down soon because I want my hug"

Steamed, Hestia was furious that Ais 'planted the flag' on Bell, but she realized it was also an emotional moment for Ais... To get revenge, she immediately gave Bell a lots of maternal nurturing. After the nurturing, she also gave Bell an update. He actually did not level this time...

After the update, Lili was also there to see Bell. Lili was apparently watching everything also and incredibly worried. Although Lili is better, Hestia did not have the ability to return her to the surface world. Apparently Bell was the only one with the contract with Freya, so the spell could only send him back and forth.

It was absolute mayhem in the town square after the battle of divine powers. Furthermore, Wiene came down in armored wyvern form to protect her friends, scaring the towns people to death. Thus Hestia had to quickly return Bell to help Ais. After Bell returned, they were able to carry the unconscious Mikoto to a bench. Bell and Ais quickly told the townspeople that Wiene was alright... Wiene did not want to transform because she was worried that another enemy could show up.

After a few minutes, everyone in the mountain hideout called in to congratulate Bell, Ais and Wiene. During the call, Mikoto also woke up. Bell and Ais quickly congratulated her because it was her bravery and quick thinking that defeated Enyo. The four of them then flew back to the mountain hideout.

When they returned, there was a celebration waiting for them because they literally saved the world and changed history. There were a lot of hugs, cheering and drinking. Unfortunately, Welf could not take part because he was still mind zero. Since it was a celebration, Bell and Ais did add to the mood by drawing a mustache on the helpless Welf...

During the celebration, Hestia also called in. She confirmed that Enyo and Njord, as well as Lyd and Gros were trapped in the timeless dimension. Hestia also explained what happened with the explosion/implosion - that the interaction of the time bubble trap and futsunomitama caused a temporary portal into the timeless dimension. Hestia said that their big job now was to figure out a way to set everyone free. She said it would be safe if Enyo was set free because all the gods could then gang together and defeat Enyo. Though there would be still some concern about Thanatos also being set free, but the gods together can handle both Enyo and Thanatos.

So the next step was to wait for Revis to wake up. Hestia hoped that Revis may have some information regarding how Enyo was able to control the timeless dimension. Only Cronos was supposed to have that power.

That night, Bell and Ais were enjoying lap pillowing again under the clear sky next to the camp fire...


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49 - Returning Home**

The next morning, with the defeat of Enyo and Revis, everyone packed up to return to Orario. That included Welf who finally recovered from his mind zero. However, there was a small matter of revenge for his mustache while he was unconscious. The revenge took the form of capturing and tying together Bell and Ais and then making their lips touch while many were watching. After that fun, the group left for Orario. An additional benefit was the new log cabin, as they now had the use of a vacation place in the mountain for group gatherings. To get back to Orario, they decided to walk back. Without an emergency, there was no need for Wiene to make repeated flights and causing panic in Orario. It would instead be a long trek back home.

Along the way, there were little stops to check out the vistas, but fortunately there were plenty of leftovers so food was not an issue. Hestia did call to let them know that Revis finally woke up but she refused to talk. So now it would take a little time for interrogation techniques. Furthermore, Hestia said that Revis had lost most of her power after Enyo was banished just like all the other familias. On top of that, Revis would never be released from the moon again. Now the focus would be finding a way to free the gods, Gros and Lyd from the timeless dimension. That would also enable Lili, Haruhime and 3 of the boosting group to return to Orario.

By the end of the day, everyone was home. It felt good to be home with the familiar beds... Bell, Ais and Mikoto were also glad that no one broke in. As a new member of the familia, Wiene would be staying so she used Haruhime's room, though Welf suggested that Haruhime just use Bell's room that is rarely occupied...

The next day, Bell went to visit Hestia on the moon, but no one else could go because there would be no way to return. He would be listening in on Revis' interrogation. First, Hestia got to provide Bell with some maternal nurturing, and they got to enjoy some Jagamarukun together with Lili and Haruhime, who was normal now that uchide no kozuchi was stopped. Once they were done catching up with each other, they joined in on Revis' interrogation. Revis was in shackles, and she was little threat with her powers lost from Enyo's stasis in the timeless dimension. With Hestia's divine powers, Revis could not lie. Furthermore, she was forced to answer question by tickle torture.

After two hours of on-and-off tickling, Revis revealed a lot of information:

Enyo was an elder god that disagreed with other elder gods about the world they were forming. Enyo wanted to create children that fiercely competed to achieve excellence so they were worthy of creation. Other elder gods wanted to create children who would strive for excellence through beauty and love. This difference drove conflict that banished Enyo to the dark dungeon as the world was forming. The dungeon was took on Enyo's belief about ruthless competition. Enyo was essentially the god of the dungeon where resources were extracted by the strongest and only the strongest survived.

Enyo was first amused by the Falnas and the children that adventured in the dungeon because it followed the rule of competition and winner takes all. However, as time went on, the dungeon became less competitive and more about friendship and cooperation. These eventually made Enyo unsatisfied but yet there were too many gods in the surface world to fight. Thus Enyo started to corrupt adventurers and created an underworld society of strong eats the weak.

Revis was among the first of those converted by Enyo. She was the strongest and preyed on monsters as well those of her own kind to get stronger. Thanatos also wanted power and was willing to merge with mutation magic from Enyo to become more powerful. However, he was overconfident and eventually defeated by the 8 gods collectively, partially ruining Enyo's plans. With Thanatos' defeat, Revis and Enyo accelerated their planning to build up an army capable of defeating the best of the surface world. With the plan to invade the dungeon, it gave Revis and Enyo the opportunity to checkmate the gods by end-running around the major force. Once they felt that the army was deep enough, they headed up the dungeon through the vertical holes, leaving their forces to either defeat or delay the army from the surface world. After reaching the surface, they were able to track down the gods by detecting small amounts of the divine auras. The time trap bubble was a magic that was used to quickly trap the gods before they could activate their own powers. Orario's gods fell quickly as most were not in the city. They then detected a huge presence of divine auras in the secret headquarters and went there to trap all the gods there before they realized what had happened.

When Hestia asked about how to free the gods from the timeless dimension, Revis simply did not know. While this confirmed a lot of their theories, there is no solution to free their friends. Hestia decided to think over what was learned and talk things over with the team in Orario. After a little more nurturing, Bell returned to Orario. He then went to meet with his familia, the Loki familia, leaders of the other familias and the Xenos to brief them on what he learned...


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50 - The New Normal**

After Bell returned to Orario from the moon, there was a large meeting with everyone in the group, including the Loki executives, the other familias, the Xenos and his of course, his own familla. He provided information from the interrogation:

1\. Revis is no longer a threat and lost most of her power when Enyo was banished, just like what happened to the other familias.

2\. Hestia is working how to free the gods, Gros and Lyd from the timeless dimension. The other gods are needed to return Lili, Haruhime and others from the moon. Revis is considered too dangerous and will be kept on the moon.

3\. Confirmation about Revis and many from the 27th floor massacre were converted by Enyo. She was the strongest and preyed on monsters as well those of her own kind.

4\. The team had apparently destroyed the remainder of Enyo's army. There were no other high level fighters remaining in the dungeon.

5\. Enyo was an elder god that disagreed with other elder gods about the world they were forming. Enyo wanted children honed to perfection through ruthless competition whereas other elder gods wanted excellence through beauty and love. This resulting conflict banished Enyo, who essentially became the god of the dungeon. As a result the dungeon took on the theme ruthless competition where resources were extracted by the strongest.

6\. Revis and Enyo were driven by revenge. They were able to detect the gods on the surface world, and used the time trap bubble to quickly trap the gods before they could activate their own powers.

7\. Driven by power, Thanatos was willing to merge with mutation magic from Enyo. With Thanatos' defeat, Revis and Enyo accelerated their planning to build up an army to conquer the surface world.

This confirmed many of the group's theories, but now the primary question was how to get the gods back. No one had an answer, though Hestia was not finished interrogating Revis.

In the meantime, the familias would continue to operate as best as they can, though healing was the biggest concern. Welf, Mikoto and Wiene would support the Ganesha familia in city security. Asterius and Ray would continue to guard the dungeon. The other Xenos would return to the dungeon and try to address the second largest concern: overpopulation of monsters in the dungeon and whether that could lead to powerful monsters coming up to the higher floors trying to escape into the surface world. The Xenos would make Riviria their temporary base and patroled floors 18 to 25. Ais, Bell and Wiene would also spent 2 days per week in the dungeon to help control the situation.

Life in the Hestia home was normalizing. With Mikoto, Welf and Wiene focused on city security, Bell and Ais had the responsibility to keep the home running. They cleaned and cooked quite a bit, and talked to Hestia regularly. They also spent quite a bit of time with the Loki familia. Finn was still frustrated with himself for being checkmated, but it became easier to accept since the opponent included an elder god. Bete still grumbled about being useless, but Tiona would then tied him up and pull wolf ears to get him to stop being negative... At night, Bell and Ais would lap pillow before Ais falls asleep hugging Bell. Of course, that led to a lot of giggling by Welf and Mikoto who were plotting something naughty...

In heaven, Hestia would focus on interrogating Revis on how Enyo created the time trap magic. While it was clear Revis was clueless about the magic, she did tell them that Enyo spent a lot of time on the 99th floor. When asked what monsters were there, Revis said she did not know, but the monsters in the other floors were already well known to adventurers including the floor bosses, dragons and goliaths. She also did confirm that the violas and vigras were new monsters that Enyo came up with on the 99th floor.

With this information, apparently a trip to the 99th floor was in order...


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51 - 99th Floor?**

With the clues from Revis about Enyo's activities, a trip was planned to investigate what remained on the 99th floor. This would be an extremely hazardous trip. The only members that could handle such a trip were Bell, Ais, Asterius and Wiene, whereas Welf, Mikoto and Ray could serve in a support role. However, someone had to provide city security and to prevent monsters from escaping into the surface world. Thus, Welf and Mikoto continue to provide city security, while Ray would shift from watching the dungeon entrance to replacing Wiene on city security. That left Asterius to watch the entrance by himself, which was reasonable because the presence of Ais/Bell/Wiene would greatly reduce probability that any significant monster would be coming up.

Before Bell left for the moon, Finn suggested getting Revis' confirmation on the merchants' vertical holes map as well as additional vertical holes in the deeper levels. Since Bell/Ais can use Ariel and Wiene can fly, all 3 would be able to move very quickly through the floors utilizing vertical holes.

The next day, Bell visited Hestia, Lili and Haruhime on the moon. With Hestia's interrogation, Revis confirmed the accuracy of the merchant's vertical hole map for the dungeon. Furthermore, she provided vertical hole locations for vertical holes for floors 52 to 70 that she was familiar with. After the interrogation, Hestia gave Bell more maternal nurturing while Lili got jealous... Hestia also gave Bell enough elixir and healing potions for the trip since healing potions were in high demand with the gods missing and the Dian Cecht familia without magic... Finally, Haruhime and 2 of her boosting group activated Uchide no Kozuchi to boost Bell by 2 levels, Ais by 1 level, Wiene by 1 level and Mikoto by 1 level.

After returning from the moon, the vertical location information was shared with the other familias, and Bell, Ais and Wiene prepared for the next trip. That night, Welf and Mikoto played their prank on Bell and Ais. They changed Ais' room plate plate to Mr. and Mrs. Bell Cranel while changing Bell's door plate to Wiene the Brave. This act did officially transferred Bell's room to Wiene and breaking Hestia's heart in heaven. After the huge embarrassment, Bell and Ais chased down Welf and Mikoto and demonstrated the difference between first-class adventurers and second-class adventurers...

The next morning, Bell, Ais and Wiene headed off to the dungeon. They wanted to reduce the population of monsters in the dungeon, but did want to minimize time spent on the early floors. So they did not utilize the vertical holes, though to speed up their travel, Ais/Bell used Aerial while Wiene flew along side. To reduce the number of monsters in the dungeon, they did blast away at larger groups of monster along the way with Ariel and firebolt. On the 17th floor, they met the goliath. Wiene was not wearing armor or her lightning charged sharp edges, but defeated the goliath in hand-to-hand combat after a couple minutes. As a level 8-9, her strength and agility have gotten much more powerful compared to only a couple weeks ago. After Wiene's victory and consuming the magic stone, the 3 headed to Riviria to meet with the Xenos stationed there.

The Xenos confirmed the monster population was up, so they had been busy dealing with that on their patrols from the 19th to the 25th floors. Fortunately, they have not seen any virgas, violas, unusual monsters or anyone resembling the high level fighters from the Enyo/Revis army. The Xenos also would be making a trip to the upper floors to collect magic stones from Ariel/firebolt victims.

As they continued down the dungeon, they did not bother to thin out the monster population on the way down to save their magic energy. They hoped that could be done on the way back to the surface. Aerial/firebolt was used several times to destroy swarms of attacking hornets. Udaeus also did respawn, and the 3 worked together to collect its magic stone. Argonaut was not necessary as firebolt was very powerful at level 9, particularly combined with Ariel at level 7. Wiene also got a few good hacks in and did consume the magic stone that gave a detectable amount of ability increase. For the colosseum floors, they simply flew right through the colosseum and only used Ariel and firebolt to take down the monsters in the way.

By the end of their high-speed day, they reached the goal that was the 50th floor where monsters do not spawn. While the balor had not yet respawned, they will likely run into valang dragons tomorrow. There was always the uncertainty regarding when they would need to handle hundreds or thousands of virgas and violas without help from powerful magic from Riveria or Lefiya. They needed a good night of rest and Wiene would need her armor tomorrow. While enjoying lap pillowing, Ais asked the question that Bell still had not answered the bees and birds...

Wiene sulked a little during the lap pillowing and wondered what happened inside their tent...


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52 - Trouble...**

Sleeping was difficult because there was only 3 of them. Ais had the first watch. Bell got the second watch, and then Wiene got the third watch. Ais was also puzzled why Bell would not answer her question last night...

They hoped that the floors would go faster as they start using the vertical holes, but no one had gone beyond the 62nd floor. While Revis told them they have pretty much seen all the types of monsters, minus a couple tougher goliaths and dragons, there was still a lot of uncertainty. If they run into thousands violas and virgas, it would be difficult to avoid a dangerous time-consuming fight. After the calls with Hestia and Finn/Riveria, they started heading into the labyrinth floors.

In the call with Hestia, Hestia reminded Ais not to seduce Bell...

In the call with Finn and Riveria, they promised Ais a special gift when she returns...

Back at the Hestia home, Welf and Mikoto added an additional decoration on the door for Ais/Bell's room - a baby teething ring... Thus, Hestia decided that Welf and Mikoto are going have a really really really difficult time earning their next update, whenever that happens.

To prepare for the deep floors, Wiene transformed and Bell/Ais installed the armor and lightning sharp edges.

The labyrinth floors were much more busy than the last trip. Even with use of the vertical holes, they had to defeat 5 dragons over several encounters. These large dragons were pretty tough, but Bell typically used 30 second argonaut Ariel/Crystal attacks that were quite effective. After consuming the magic stones from 5 dragons, Wiene felt noticeably stronger. When the team reached the 61st floor, no fighters appeared, which agreed with Revis' statement that none should be left.

Thus, they kept descending, with their strategy being 1) take a quick look around and if there are hundreds of dangerous monsters 2) if so, decide whether they would be able to get through the floor on their return 3) if not, then head for the next vertical hole or exit to the next level, whichever one is closer.

Floor 63 - avoided a dragon and a group of scorpions.

Floor 64 - avoided some titan alm plants.

Floor 65 - had to blast a large group of black rhinos, but did not stop for the magic stones.

Floor 66 - vertical hole went straight through the level

Floor 67 - had to blast a group of large spiders.

Floor 68 - encountered a large goliath that could not be avoided. This goliath was a difficult fight. Ais and Bell asked Wiene to keep her distance while they try some Ariel/firebolt attacks. The goliath took damage but fired back with lightning attacks. Fortunately, Bells' magic resistance absorbed most of the damage. Bell immediately activated hati that prevented additional attacks from causing much damage when combined with his magic resistance. However, the goliath was regenerating quickly, forcing them to retreat while Bell charged argonaut. When Bell was ready, they would launch their argonaut spell attack before jumping in with physical attacks. After charging for 1 minute, the argonaut Ariel strike severely damaged the goliath. At which point, they went in for physical attacks that finished it off. Wiene did used up a lightning charge, so a new sharp edge had to be installed on her right talon. But the magic stone was worth the effort.

Floor 69 - avoided a few scorpions, a group of black rhinos and some barbarians.

Floor 70 - on the last floor with information from Revis, they took their time to search around for vertical holes to the floor 71 as well as the types of monsters on the floor.

Floor 71 - The first floor Revis did not provide information on. It was a 'normal' floor. Not knowing where the exit was and where vertical holes were, they had to tread more carefully around the floor. They were able to locate a few vertical holes on different areas on the floor, and went down one of them.

Floor 72 - This floor was another normal floor. They were also able to avoid some random monsters like a dragon and a few black rhinos. Ais and Bell did use a few Ariel/firebolt attacks to deter a large swarm of hornets. They were able to located 2 vertical holes and went down one of them.

Floor 73 - 84 - These were more normal floor with a few random monsters. They have gotten better at evading monsters and were able to avoid instead of engaging. They would mapped out the vertical holes on the floor and proceeded down one of them.

Floor 85 - This floor was beautiful and resembled the 18th floor - Lush vegetation, crystal formations, very high roof, crystal lighting, and seeming lacked many monsters. They were able to locate a few vertical holes on different areas on the floor, but then it was lunch time. By flying and avoiding battles, they have descended an amazing 35 floors in 4 hours! Before lunch, they went down one of the vertical holes.

Floor 86 - This floor was bitter cold. Ais and Bell had to embrace tightly to maximize the sharing of bodily warmth, though Wiene was fine. As the turned the corner around an ice wall, a cone of ice struck Ais and Bell...


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53 - The Way Down**

At the Hestia home, Mikoto just got back from her city patrols and Welf left to perform his patrols. With security the priority, Welf no longer had time to work on weapons and armor. To help out, Takemikazuchi and Miach familias were cooking and cleaning. In the evenings, everyone just gathered around and chatted, as the city's activities have rapidly declined without the gods and dungeon adventures.

At the Loki home, the executives were also not used to sitting at home unable to make a difference. Fortunately, Welf provided them with 2 magic swords, so they could help out with city security. Thus, Bete patrolled with Mikoto on the first shift while Finn patrolled with Welf on the second shift. Meanwhile, Tione wanted to cook for Finn. Riveria and Tiona mostly waited near the communications rock for any messages from Bell and Ais, just like Hestia in heaven.

In heaven, Hestia's thoughts revolved around Ais seducing Bell and worrying about their trip into levels that no one has even been to before. Meanwhile on the moon, Lili and Haruhime spend time by themselves when Hestia returned to heaven, as there is insufficient power to beam them there.

On the bitter cold 86th floor, Bell and Ais were flying while in a tight embrace to keep warm. That was fortunate for them when a cone of ice struck them while they turned the corner around an ice wall. First, Bell's hati and magic resistance protected him from the great majority of the damage. Second, since he wrapped himself around Ais to keep her warm, Ais was mostly protected as well. As it was, Ais' legs were encased in ice. The unexpected attack did cause them to crash some distance away. Wiene did not get hit, but had flew right by the crash and had to turn around.

Their attacker was a ice-white goliath resembling an enormous yeti. The goliath looked hungry and headed for them. Bell fired firebolt at it while trying to use some of the fire to melt the ice around Ais' feet. With ice surrounding her legs, they could not even use elixir. The firebolt caused some damage but the goliath continued to head for them. After a couple more firebolts, the ice was melted around Ais' legs. However, the goliath was near, and they had to move quickly way to avoid another ice attack. Fortunately, Wiene got back and attack the goliath from its backside with her talons. Two lightning sharp edges ignited and cause serious damage to the goliath. Bell and Ais added an Ariel/firebolt to knock the giant down. Just when they thought they had the advantage, the goliath jumped back up and attacked Wiene with the ice attack. While Wiene did avoid a lot of the attack, her wings got frozen and she fell down. Bell and Ais kept firing Ariel/firebolt at its face to draw its attention away. Fortunately, that worked, but they were attacked again by the cone of ice. While hati and Bell's magic resistance absorbed most of the attack, they took additional damage and were getting a lot of frostbite. Finally, Bell's argonaut charged enough for a 1 minute Ariel/firebolt, which brought down the giant for good. They realized they need to heal up enough to leave the floor. Bell used firebolt to warm the air around Wiene's wings to help free her of the ice. However, she was in no shape to fly. Thus, they had to look for a way off the floor by walking. With everyone freezing, Bell noticed a few large plants covered in snow. He used firebolt to set them afire to warm everyone up. That worked, and the fire really helped. Wiene warmed her wings up a lot and they poured more elixir on them. Bell and Ais also healed their frost damage with more elixir. After a few more minutes, they set off again after collecting and consuming the goliath's magic stone. They found a vertical hole and decided to go into without searching the frozen floor any more.

Floor 87 -This was back to a more typical dungeon floor with reasonable temperatures. They encountered a few monsters but were able to avoid a battle. After flying around a bit more, they found 2 vertical holes and use the 2nd one.

Floor 88 - Another typical floor with reasonable temperatures. They had trouble finding a vertical hole after flying through most of the floor. As they headed towards the final windy pathway, they slowed down due to the potential threat of colliding with a dangerous monster. However, they still almost ran into one coming around a turn. The turn opened into a large room and there was a large red dragon only about 10 feet from them. The dragon turned its head and shot fire at them. Fortunately, with hati and magic resistance, there was only light damage to Bell and Ais. Wiene got burned a bit worse. They knew they could not turn back because the dragon was probably blocking the way to the exit. Thus, Bell and Ais increased their speed while launching an Ariel/crystal attack, trying to draw the dragon's attention away from Wiene, who was more vulnerable to the attack. They definitely succeeded in getting the attention of the dragon, which shot more fire at them. Meanwhile Bell was charging argonaut and Ais was focused in creating more distance from the dragon to reduce the damage. As the dragon pursued, Wiene waited for her opportunity after Bell's argonaut attack. After 1 minute of charging, Bell and Ais launched an argonaut Ariel/crystal attack that caused very serious damage. After that, Wiene attacked from its backside with both talons armed with fresh lightning sharp edges. That defeated the dragon, but Wiene needed more elixir. While Hestia gave them a good amount of elixir, they were starting to run low, so they would have to fight more carefully as none of them had any healing powers. Wiene was also starting to run low on charged sharp edges, so they would also have to conserve Wiene's physical attacks. While Bell and Ais searched for the exit, Wiene collected and consumed the magic crystal. They did find a passageway that seemed to lead to the next floor close to the far end of the large room.

Floor 89 - This was another typical dungeon floor. They encountered several groups of monsters which they were able to avoid. Hestia called and they gave her an update on the situation and thanked her for the elixirs again. After finding many vertical holes, they went through one of them.

Floor 90 - Another typical dungeon floor except it was one large room. They could see some of the monsters, but again none of the 'new' types of monsters. They could see a few vertical holes and went through one of them.

Floor 91 - This was a dark floor but not like the abyss-like floor where stray light seemed to be absorbed. Due to the darkness, they slowed down a lot. This caused a lot more encounters with monsters. To save Wiene's charged edges, Bell and Ais were able to defeat the monsters including scorpions, black rhinos and silver worms, with Ariel/firebolt attacks. They found a vertical hole and went through it without searching through the dark floor anymore.

Floor 92-93 - The vertical hole allowed them to go straight to the 93rd floor. The floor also seem to be a normal floor, which allowed them to move faster. There were substantially more monsters, but none were the new types. They did find a few vertical holes and went through one of them.

Floor 94 - The floor was relatively normal except there were lots of vertical holes and a lot of light shone threw them from the floor below. There were again more monsters, but none were the new type. They called Finn and Riveria to report their progress and mentioned the unusual look of the 94th floor.

Bell and Ais went through one of the vertical holes and then were shocked by what they saw on the 95th floor...


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54 - Here Comes the Sun**

On the 94th floor, Bell and Ais went through one of the vertical holes to the 95th floor even as a lot of light shone through the numerous vertical holes on the floor. When they emerged from the vertical hole, they were shocked. Apparently, the floor was one huge room with a large round cavern that opened onto floors below. Furthermore, about 5 floors below, they could see a small bright white sphere that emitted so much light and energy, making it bright and warm like a mini-sun. Wiene was following behind them in the passage way, and she was equally amazed by the sight and feel. They immediately called Hestia, Finn and Riveria and told them what they saw.

Hestia, Finn and Riveria were equally surprised. Bell, Ais and Wiene then proceeded to explore the 95th floor that was one large room with very high ceilings. It was lit bright by the mini-sun below that kept the room quite warm. The room contained many enormous glass containers filled with greenish fluids, and some of the containers were connected to each other with metallic tubes. When they looked carefully, there were little creatures moving around in the liquid that looked like little virgas! When they got even closer to the containers, they were shocked with an lightning charge that did some damage. They immediately called Hestia, Finn and Riveria again to report the baby virgas inside the glass containers that seemed to be protected by some type of lightning charge. Everyone agreed that Enyo may have been incubating virgas in the strange setup.

After exploring the 95th floor, they proceeded to the 96th floor, there were more glass containers filled with a similar green liquid. Being closer to the mini-sun, the floor was even warmer. When they looked carefully, the baby creatures were different and seemed more plant like. They were guessing these could be tiny viola plants being incubated.

After exploring the 96th floor, they updated everyone and then headed to the 97th floor. The floor was again 1 large room with a cavern in the middle. Being even closer to the mini-sun, it was extremely hot. There were no more glass containers but the floor was filled a lot of large metal tubes, large metal containers and a lot of metallic objects they were not familiar with. After checking through the floor, they updated everyone again and then went down tho the next floor.

The 98 floor was also 1 large room with the cavern in the middle. The room was scorching hot and they could not stay for long. They took a quick look but the room was apparently empty. It was also extremely bright from its proximity to the mini-sun. There seem to be at least 1 more floor below that was the 99th floor which Revis mentioned, but they could not fly near it. From what they could see, it appeared to be empty like the 98th floor. The mini-sun could well be on the 99th floor.

They headed back up to the 97th floor before updating everyone. They all agreed that Enyo was incubating the new monsters and the strange metal objects and containers may have had something to do with the mini-sun. Deciding that the team would not be able to figure out what is what, Hestia suggested that they should return back to the surface ASAP. There was nothing they could do except possibly cause a disaster or hurt themselves. Since the strange metal objects all seemed to be protected by the same type of lightning charge, they could not try to bring some back for others to look at. With the decision made, they started their return trip...


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55 - The Return**

Everyone was extremely surprised about what was discovered on floors 95-99. Deciding that the team would not be able to figure out what was going on, Hestia suggested that they should return back to the surface ASAP. With the decision made, they started their return trip. The hope was that they could return all the way to the 50th floor now that they had the deep floors mapped out.

Back at the Loki home, everyone was talking about Enyo and the incubating monsters, which explains why there were no new virgas and violas because Enyo was banished. Furthermore, the big debate was how the mini-sun got there and what were those mysterious objects. The question was who could figure it out, and was it related to the time bubble trap magic. Furthermore, Finn was suspicious how about the yin-yang of the bright white sphere that radiated out all the light and heat versus the dark black sphere where everything was being pulled in.

In heaven, Hestia was going through the same mental exercises. She wished she could go down to the dungeon, but she did not have the power to go to the surface world. However, is the mini-sun somehow related to the timeless dimension?

Back in the dungeon, Ais, Bell and Wiene ascended quickly through the large cavern and got back to the 95th floor, where they went up one of the vertical holes to the 94th floor. It was only an hour or so since they were on the 94th floor, and nothing was different. They were able to avoid the monsters and flew up the same vertical hole back to the 92nd floor. On the 92nd floor, they saw and avoided the same monsters, and then flew up a vertical hole to the dark 91st floor determined to be closest to an exit.

On the dark 91st floor, they had to slow down a lot again. Fortunately, they were able to quickly get to a vertical hole connected to the 90th floor. So there were less encounters than on the way down. To save Wiene's charged edges again, Bell and Ais were able to use Ariel /firebolt to defeat a few black rhinos and silver worms. On the 90th - 89 floors, they avoided a few monsters and went up the same vertical holes as before. On the 88th floor, the remains of the dragon were still in the large room, but they were able to quickly get to the 87th floor. On the 87th floor 87, took the same path to get through to the frozen 86th floor. The frozen floor was just the same, and the remains of the goliath were still on the floor. Bracing the cold, they flew away as quickly as they could. They then reached the beautiful 85th floor where everything was also the same. After flying around to scout a bit, they landed to eat dinner and take a short break. They also updated Hestia and then Finn and Riveria. Everyone just wanted them to keep climbing as quickly as possible. After dinner, they started ascending again.

Floors 84-69 - Nothing changed in these floor in the last couple hours. They were able to avoid monsters and just kept climbing as quickly as they could. They made very good progress now that they have the floors already mapped out.

Floor 68 - The remains of the goliath were still on the ground. They simply kept moving and avoiding encounters.

Floors 67-63 also did not change. They just kept moving and climbing...

Floors 62-59 were also the same. They managed to get through the abyss-like floor without an encounter and then headed up into the labyrinth floors.

They did have to fight a few dragons through the labyrinth floors. To conserve elixirs and Wiene's charged edges, Bell and Ais use more Ariel/firebolt spells. Wiene did have to jump in a couple times to help finish several fights. They did collect 3 magic stones which Wiene consumed.

Finally, they reached the 50th floor where they started the day. It was getting late and their roundtrip covered an incredible total of 98 floors in one day. After scouting around, they went straight to sleep. There was no time for lap pillowing as everyone was tired. Ais had the first watch, Bell the second, and Wiene the third. They were so tired that they actually all slept well.

The next day, they headed up the dungeon and did not encountered much trouble. They did stop on the 18th floor to update the Xenos on their trip. When they reached the surface, it was lunch time after a quick shower! After a couple hours of rest, it was time for meeting with the other familias before dinner...


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56 - S.O.S. calling all gods**

In the meeting of the familias at the guild, Bell and Ais retold what they saw in the first ever journey to the 99th floor. Everyone was facing a dire problem as their way of living was completely disrupted, and critical items were starting to run short. It was clear that Enyo created those mutated monsters, but no one had any idea what the mini-sun was and how it got there. Unfortunately, the description of the items on those floors were far beyond anyone's comprehension. Finn did mentioned his suspicion about the white sphere and the black sphere being yin and yang, but could provide no theories for how that could help them save the banished gods. They did decide that a trip was needed to destroy the incubation facilities for the virgas and violas. Hestia was also on the call and she would be searching for help in heaven. At the end, everyone congratulated Ais, Bell and Wiene for being the record holders for the deepest level reached.

Now it was time for dinner. Ais, Bell and Wiene went to eat with Finn, Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Gareth, Lefiya and Bete at the Hostess of Fertility. Everyone was deep in thought over dinner though, and even Bete did not get drunk. The conversation was all about the white sphere, the black sphere, the time bubble trap and the timeless dimension. Was there a link?

In heaven, Hestia was going through the same thoughts. If she could only go down to the dungeon, but she did not have the power to go to the surface world. She then realize that there may still be some gods remaining on the surface world, but she had no idea how to find and contact the remaining gods...

That night, Bell and Ais enjoyed lap pillowing under the stars near their home. They always thought they had seen it all, but then life always surprised them. Their friends were trapped, and they could not help them. There is a sun buried in the deepest reaches of the dungeon. There are mutated monsters that an insane elder god was raising to conquer the surface world. Two of their friends were stuck on the moon. Their goddess is stuck in heaven. While laughing about the silliness of it all, Ais suddenly remembered something really important...

Ais said to Bell "You still have not answered my question"

Bell "Huh?..."

Ais "You have not told me about the book of the bees and the birds..."

Bell panicked thinking of an answer. Out of desperation, he blurted out something from the deepest reaches of his subconsciousness "Ais, you have not told me something..."

Ais "Huh?..."

Bell "Remember Zeus told us that you were not asleep during our sleep training long ago... ... Why did you say - wait - while you were sleeping..."

Ais immediately turned crimson red, got all angry, and proceeded to tied Bell up and hung him upside down...

Bell "Ais, let me go..."

Ais, still bright red "You are bad!"

Bell realized he was onto something good and said "Come on... : ) "

Ais finally relented and let him down. She was still red and could not face him for the rest of the evening. In their room, she turned to face the wall while sleeping... The next morning, they had breakfast at home and relieved Mikoto from her security duty in the morning. While patrolling with Bete, they broke up a few fights and caught some thieves. Crime was getting worse because of the scarcity of goods. Inflation was getting out of control, but everyone could only try to cope. That night, they ate dinner separately due to the security tasks. In the evening substituting for Welf, they patrolled with Finn and had to stop quite a few crimes. It was a very long day, but at midnight, they went home to sleep. There was no lap pillowing, but Ais was still embarrassed being alone with Bell in their room after what he said the night before...

The next day, Ais and Bell went to meet with the Loki familia. At the Loki home, they were all glad to see Ais and Bell. Tiona noticed that Ais was acting funny, and she took Ais aside to ask her what happened. Being completely red, Ais told Tiona and Tiona giggled for 5 minutes. That caused Ais even more humiliation, and Tiona was also hung upside down. Everyone then came in to see the upside Tiona and asked what happened. Tiona answered "Girl talk..."

After Tiona was released, they got serious and called Hestia. Hestia then asked them to help her find any remaining gods on the surface world...


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57 - Taking Responsibility**

In a call from heaven, Hestia asked Bell, Ais and the Loki famila to find any remaining gods on the surface world. Only a god would have a chance to figure out what was going on with all the stuff Enyo was doing and the white sphere.

Finn "We did not and do not have the ability to detect gods"

Riveria "Right, there is no way of doing that."

Gareth "Enyo cleaned out all the gods in Orario, Rakia, Melen, Telskyura, and all the nearby villages.

Tione "Right, Enyo had that ability but none of us can detect gods"

Tiona "There must be some gods remaining somewhere for this emergency"

Bete "Enyo could do it, but can you (Hestia) do that from heaven"

Hestia "Too far away, no can do"

Ais "Well the dungeon can detect it somehow"

Lefiya "What about the Great Spirits?"

Riveria "No one has seen them since the war"

Hestia "They may have retired and faded from the world, not sure"

Bell "What about Revis?"

Hestia "I don't think Revis has such an ability, and she has lost her falna powers from Enyo anyways"

Lefiya "May be Revis knows something when they were looking for gods everywhere?"

Hestia "It does not hurt to try. Bell, I need to take care of some business today, but you need to be on the moon with me tomorrow for the further interrogation."

With that decided, everyone adjourned for the day.

Bell and Ais took their leave. Before they left, Tiona took Bell aside and said to him "What do you expect Ais to do? You need to take responsibility like a MC is supposed to..."

Bell gulped and said he understood. He had to take responsibility...

That night while they were lap pillowing in their room, Bell remembered that he had to live up to his promise...

Bell "Ais, I am sorry I have been so useless all this time. It is just that I did not feel worthy"

Ais perked up, smiled and asked "Worthy of what?"

Bell "You know..."

Ais "I don't know, you need to tell me"

Bell looked down and was bright red "Come on, you know"

Ais "Tell me, I want to hear what you mean"

Bell started shivering "Well I always was thankful you saved me so many times."

Ais "And?..."

Bell "Well, I wanted to be able to stand next to you without being useless"

Ais "You want to stand next to me, well that is ok"

Ais "Is that all you have to say?"

Bell collapsed...

Ais was so incredibly happy that she had trouble sleeping all night...

Now the question was when would Bell tell the rest of what he is supposed to say?


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58 - Poor Bell...**

The next morning, Bell woke up but Ais was already up. Apparently she was trying to cook. While everyone watched in amazement, they stayed far away from the frantic chopping by the rapid moving knife. Bell had the good fortune to be the first to taste the food and said it was wonderful...

After Bell recovered, he went to buy Jagamarukuns for the trip. After that, he was beamed up to the moon to meet with Hestia. After some maternal nurturing, they sat down to talk and enjoy the Jagamarukuns. Hestia was curious why Bell was so hungry...

Afterwards, it was time to interrogate Revis. Lili and Haruhime joined in and gave Bell a hug also. Haruhime asked Bell would Ais get jealous if they hug him. Bell said of course not, but Hestia reminded Haruhime that her next update will cost a lot... During the interrogation, Hestia did most of the talking.

Hestia: "When you and Enyo were hunting down the gods, were you able to detect the gods?"

Revis "No"

Hestia: "Enyo did that?"

Revis "Yes"

Hestia "Are there any remaining gods on the surface world"

Revis "Yes, I remember 3-4 of them"

Hestia "Who are they and where are they?"

Revis "I don' know who, but 1 or 2 were deep under the ocean on the other side about 15 miles beyond Melen. One was near a volcano about 10 miles northwest of Orario. One was in the air far away from Orario."

Hestia "Do you mean 1-2 were deep beneath the ocean 15 miles beyond Melen, 1 was flying around and 1 was near a volcano 10 miles northwest of Orario"

Revis "Yes"

Hestia "How were you going to trap them"

Revis "We were going to monitor their location and see if they moved to a more favorable location"

Hestia "So you have no idea where those 3-4 gods are now"

Revis "No idea"

Hestia "Those locations you gave us are the latest and most accurate information you have"

Revis "That is all I have. It is what Enyo said"

After the interrogation, they had lunch to think over what was said. After lunch, they decided to look for the volcano and look for a village about 15 miles from Melen...

While Bell was on the moon, Ais helped out with city security. Over lunch, she met with her girlfriends from the Loki familia. Tiona and Tione noticed that Ais was very happy, completely different from yesterday.

Tiona "You look happy, what happened?"

Ais whisper something in Tiona's ears...

Tiona "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG"

Tione and Riveria "What happened!"

Tiona smiled and said "Bell took responsibility after I had a talk with him..."

Ais "You had a talk?"

Tiona "Yes : ) told him to man up"

Tione "LOL, Are you saying what I think you said"

Tiona nods her head in approval.

Tione screams and everyone in the Hostess of Fertility were staring at the them.

Riveria "I want to hear it"

Tione whispered in Riveria's ears.

Riveria "Wow, oh Ais, Finn and I got you a gift. Since Bell confessed, we have to remember to give it to you because you will need it"

Ais "?"

Ais "By the way, he has not confess... ... yet"

Tione "Uh oh, poor Bell... target is acquired and locked on..."

Tiona giggles "Has he done ki..."

Tiona was hung upside down and gagged...

Riveria "Ais. Don't worry. On the gift, Finn will give it to you"

Lefiya said begrudgingly "Congrats Ais, I am happy for you"

Tione "Why the long face, thought you and Filvis were so close"

Lefiya "We are friends..."

Tione "Ok, : ) "

Lefiya "Don't say stuff like that. We are not like that"

With that, the conversation changed to the black sphere and white sphere...


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59 - Going Fishing**

After Bell returned from the moon, he found out that Ais was having a long lunch with her Loki familia girlfriends. So he headed there with the fresh orders from Hestia. When he got there, he saw everyone chatting except Tiona, who was gagged and hung upside down...

Tione and Riveria were really really happy to see Bell, but Ais was a bit embarrassed. They got up and made sure Bell got the seat next to Ais and were asked if he was hungry. A bit surprised by the special treatment, Bell just said that he already ate on the moon. He then told them what was learned from Revis.

Riveria's head ached from the situation. The only gods left were either in the depths of the ocean, flying somewhere and next to a volcano with no civilization nearby. Agreeing that those areas must be searched, Bell and Ais sat off to find Wiene. First, they stopped by the dungeon entrance to check on Asterius and updated him. They then found Wiene who was patrolling in the air above the city. Thus, Wiene headed towards the volcano, while Bell and Ais flew to the location 15 miles from Melen.

Ais and Bell first stopped at Melen. Njord's familia was back but without any falna power and very puzzled. Bell explained the situation and told them they were doing everything they could. They then asked if there was a village 15 miles away, but the familia did not think so, though they thought some hermits did live there. Perhaps the god is one of the hermits... So they headed off again to look from the air. They did see some shacks on the way, and stopped by each one to check. By the time they flew about 15 miles, they saw one more shack. When they checked, no one was there but it appears some type of hermit fishman lived there with all the fishing equipment. After that, they searched for another hour before heading back to Orario.

Wiene headed towards the general direction given to find the volcano. After about an hour, she did see a volcano, but no one was near it. There were also no villages nearby so she circle some more to keep looking. After searching for an hour, she still did not find any civilization or any person on the ground. At that point, the sun was getting close to setting so she turned back towards home.

While Welf had to patrol, Bell, Ais and Wiene had dinner with Mikoto, the Miach familia and the Takemikazuchi familia. Conversation over dinner primarily involved the search for the remaining gods. At that point, Riveria and Tiona dropped by. To accelerate the search, they suggested staying at those locations to see if the gods return. Thus the next day, Tiona would travel with Wiene to the volcano, while Bell and Ais would go to the empty shack by the ocean...

That night, Bell and Ais were enjoying lap pillowing outside under the stars. Ais fell asleep so Bell carried her back to their room. When he left her on the bed, she woke up.

Bell's heart started thumping...

Then Ais finally broke the ice and said "Bell, I don't think you were finished telling me how you felt the other night..."

Bell "Well gosh, I just meant to say that I always was thankful you saved me so many times and I wanted to be worthy of standing next to you..."

Ais "What are you really trying to say? Standing next to me. You stand next to me all the time. So does Mikoto, Wiene, Finn, Riveria, Bete, Tiona, Tione,..."

Bell "Well I always did not feel worthy before, but now it is better"

Ais was disappointed "So it is ok now? Is that all you have to say"

Bell "Well, no..."

Ais "Tell me what you really want to say then"

Bell "Well, you know I like you, right?"

Ais fainted...


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60 - Hermes' Revenge**

The next day, Bell woke up first and he was relieved after his confession. He got ready while Ais was still sleeping and went downstairs. When Ais woke up, she was feeling extremely self-conscious. Remembering what Bell said just made her flushed. She took extra care to brush her teeth and washed her face. She combed her long hair for an extra long time before heading down for breakfast...

During breakfast, Tiona dropped by the Hestia home for their camping trip. Everyone was all packed up and ready for their assignment. Hoping the gods would show up in the places that Enyo detected them previously, they were going to camp in the same locations. Ais and Bell would be going to the shack by the sea about 15 miles from Melen, while Wiene and Tiona would be going to the volcano.

Before leaving, Tiona pulled Bell aside and nudged him a little "Romance by the ocean. I want to hear about some progress, you know what I mean : ) If I do not, I will tell everyone over dinner that you said you two have been doing very naughty things in your room ever since Hermes' training..." Bell gulped but tried hard to be cool...

On their way to the shack, Ais and Bell first stopped at Melen again to see if anyone has seen any sign of any god. They saw Njord's familia but they said there is nothing new. When they got to the same shack, no one was there and none of the fishing equipment seemed to have been moved. Thus, they set up camp next to the shack and got things ready for lunch and dinner. There was a quick call with Hestia to let them know what was going on, and then a quick call with Finn and Riveria also to update them. Before they hung up, Riveria said to them "Have fun, but not too much fun ..." Afterwards, since they brought their swimming clothes, so Bell went spear fishing using Ais' sword. Having caught enough, he return to their camp and roasted the fish with Ais for lunch. Remembering Tiona's threat, Bell decided to pull something out of Hermes' playbook. Bell suggested going swimming and fishing together later, which Ais gladly agreed to...

Meanwhile, Wiene and Tiona reached the volcano. Tiona was enjoying her first flight with Wiene. They circle around the volcano and nearby areas and confirmed there was no sign of civilization. They then landed a little bit from the volcano to set up camp. They caught a deer, so they would eat well out there, with all the boars and deers. After lunch, Wiene went flying around again to search for any signs of life, while Tiona stayed by the camp hoping someone would show up. Fortunately, Finn remember to give her one of the magic swords so she could defend herself if needed. Until they find something or someone shows up, it is going to be a long wait...

Back at the ocean, Ais flew around by herself to look for any signs of any other shacks or anyone, but did not find any new shacks or people beyond those they found yesterday. Bell just enjoyed the nice day waiting for the owner of the shack to return. After flying for a couple hours, Ais came back and they went swimming and fishing. They first put Hermes' training to good use by diving around the area to see if they can find any clues. After 30 minute, they found nothing, but agreed to dive at a different location the next day. After the diving, they went back to the safety of the shallow water. Putting his Hermes cap on, Bell suggested wrestling to see who can win a 3-sec pin. Compared to earlier training, Bell was much stronger but he let Ais pin him a couple times. The competitive aspect kept the embarrassment under control, but then he got serious and pinned Ais for 3 seconds. After 3 seconds, he would not let Ais go. After some struggling, Ais gave in and Bell got his kiss. Totally embarrassed, both were bright red, but Bell got a couple more for good measure. At that point, they thought they heard a far away scream but did not see anyone, though Hestia's attendants had to help her regain consciousness in heaven... Afterwards, they went to spear a few more fish for dinner.

That night, Wiene and Tiona enjoyed the campfire in the wilderness and laughed about how many months they were going to stay there...

After their seafood dinner, Bell and Ais also enjoyed the campfire by the ocean. Ais had been incredibly quiet since the kisses. In the tent, Bell suggested some more wrestling and was rewarded again...


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61 - Hestia's Revenge**

In heaven, as her attendants revive Hestia, she was moaning "Bell-kun, ... you really cheated ... you cheater". The next morning, Hestia vowed revenge on her Bell-kun...

Meanwhile near the volcano, Tiona and Wiene continued their frustrating day of waiting and searching. Wiene went searching while Tiona stayed to wait for someone to show up. Wiene flew around all morning to search but returned with no luck. The two of them then enjoyed a nice lunch, before Tiona walked to search on foot near the volcano. The plan was to conduct a more detailed search of the nearby areas that is not possible from aerial reconnaissance.

At the same time by the ocean, Bell was still sleeping with a silly grin on his face when Ais woke up. Remembering the events of the day before, she was still blushing bright red. But she smiled and got up quietly to wash her face and brush her hair. When Bell woke up, they had breakfast together before Ais conducted a lower, slower but more detail search of the nearby areas. After lunch, they went swimming again and dived in a different area hoping to find some clues. With no luck, they had their second wrestling match. Ais lost again and Bell happily collected his reward again.

That evening, everyone chatted using the communications rock and discussed their collective frustration. Hestia asked Bell-kun what has he been doing with his time with Ais, to which he nervously answered that they were searching everywhere for the god. Tiona also commented that they were starting to do a more in-depth search on foot near the volcano. Tione told Ais that she is going to head there to help, since she is a better diver. Chigusa and Ouka also agreed to go help at the volcano to help search, and Wiene agreed to pick them up from Orario. Before they hung up, Tiona reminded Bell of his promise and he replied that he remembered. After the call, Ais and Bell enjoyed some lap pillowing. This was the first time since their special event, and so it had a bit more meaning. Afterwards, it was time for bed and another predetermined wrestling match...

The next day, Chigusa and Ouka arrived at the volcano with Wiene's help. Wiene also helped delivered Tione to Melen, where they picked up additional help from the Njord familia. Now there are 4 adventurers conducting the search at the volcano and 5 at the ocean. Unfortunately, they still did not find anything. After another joint call, it was decided that more help was needed and another 20 would be sent to each location from the Loki familia, the Freya familia, the Ganesha familia, the Hermes familia, the Hephaestus familia and the Miach familia. Preparing for the long haul, several small log cabins were constructed at each location. After 1 week, there was still no breakthrough. While camping was fun and the food was great, everyone was really frustrated. With the large groups, they were able to check more and more places, but it felt like a fool's errand. However, there was nothing else they could do because they have already been checking all the population centers with no luck.

Hestia decided more interrogation of Revis might be useful. So Bell was beamed up for another session. Revis was not able to tell them anything about other locations. Bell then came up with an idea and asked "Hestia, have you tried to figure out who those gods could be from the heaven side? Is there is some listing of flying types, volcano types and sealife types?" Hestia liked the idea and decided to try it. However, she suddenly remember what Bell did with Ais on the beach.

Hestia asked Bell "Bell-kun, is there something you should tell me?"

Bell "Ah, no"

Hestia "Are you sure?"

Bell getting nervous "Ah what?"

Hestia "I don't know. Did you cheat on me?"

Bell "..."

Hestia "How are you going to make it up to me?"

Bell "Well..."

Hestia "Since you like wrestling so much, why don't you wrestle me?"

Bell knew he was in trouble, since Hestia did not need to seal her powers on the moon...

After Bell was pinned, he received enough maternal nurturing for 1 year.

Furthermore, he had to keep saying "Please, I don't have enough" the entire time...


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62 - Doing It; The God Hunt**

After Bell-kun was adequately punished and allowed to return, Hestia went back to heaven to figure out who those gods could be from the heaven side - including any listing of flying types, volcano types and sealife types.

Bell-kun, after lots of maternal nurturing, returned to the beach with a silly look on his face. Ais saw him and asked whether their goddess showed her grace again, which Bell nodded embarrassingly. After discussing Hestia's plan with everyone, the search was back on again. Ais went to check for the nearest islands to see if anyone was using them. Several went to search inland areas, while the vast majority went diving to the deepest levels they could handle. Bell stayed by the shack in case anyone needed help. After another day of futility, everyone had wonderful dinner of roasted boar instead of seafood. Camping was such fun, but the futility was driving everyone insane. During the campfire after dinner, they checked on Wiene and Tiona, who were equally frustrated. They then checked on Finn and Riveria who reported everyone is alright in Orario.

That night, everyone went to sleep in their new cabins, but Bell and Ais still used their tent, arousing Tione's curiosity. Thus, she quietly sneaked next to their tent and heard struggling. Instinctually, she immediately opened their tent, thinking someone might have needed help. However, she got to see Bell collect his reward for the night.

Tiona "OMG OMG OMG, you are doing it"

Bell "SSSSHHHH"

Meanwhile, Ais was hiding her facing under the pillow. In a shot heard around the world, Tione shared the gossip with everyone in the Loki familia.

She told them "They are doing it. OMG They are doing it. Bell and Ais are doing it"

Tiona was shocked, as was Riveria, who said "I said fun was good, but not to have too much fun".

After the initial shock, Riveria finally asked "What are they doing?"

Tione said "He held her down and kissed her"

Riveria "Is that all you are freaked out over? They have only been together for how many months? Well at least it is official now..." With the excitement dampened, everyone went back to sleep, though Ais' face was still covered by the pillow...

The next day after the morning searches, Hestia called with excitement. She found some important new information. While there was no list, she believed that the god(s) have been identified as Ahti, god of the depths and fish and his wife, Vellamo, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms. They apparently liked to play around the ocean but had many shacks on the oceanfront. This actually agreed with what Revis said that there were 1-2 gods deep in the ocean near Melen. However, where were they now? Knowing that they own many shacks on the continent, the logical step would be to find all the unoccupied shacks by the ocean. With this new information, the focus would be put on locating these two gods, and the volcano party was recalled to assist. While Wiene ferried the team at the volcano to them, Ais and Bell started searching all the shacks on the coast. The goal was to check every shack on the ocean and leave a team at each empty shack. By the end of the day, an incomplete searched yielded a total of 10 empty shacks were found, while the occupied shacks did not apparently had a god inside. At the end of the day, Wiene had delivered everyone from the volcano area to the camp by the ocean. Thankfully, there was enough food for everyone. They would have had to build more housing, but Wiene will be delivering adventurers to stay by each empty shack... After another fine dinner, everyone settled down for the night, though Tiona and Tione stayed with Bell and Ais to tease them.

The next morning, the great 'god hunt' started. Wiene delivered a pair of adventurers to watch each empty shack, while Bell and Ais went to search for more empty shacks. By the end of the day, a total of 18 empty shacks were found. After all the adventurers were delivered, Ais, Bell, Tiona and Tione stayed at the original shack while Wiene returned to Orario. Thus, the waiting game continued.

After another 3 days, a small boat landed near the original shack...


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63 - The Interrogations**

3 days after the adventurers were deployed to the 18 empty shacks, a small boat landed near the original shack. Ais was first to see the boat. After a terse message to Hestia and others, they all went to see who was on the boat. It appeared to be a middle-aged couple dragging the boat onshore. Tione asked the couple whether they owned the shack, and they replied yes. Bell then asked whether they are Ahti and Vellamo, which surprised the couple. A little concerned, they answered yes!

The team quickly told Ahti and Vellamo about what happened, which completed shocked the 2 gods. Hestia was put on the call, and Hestia again explained the urgency of the situation. Ahiti and Vellamo agreed to help their fellow gods, so they agreed to go to Orario with them. Wiene was summoned to provide transportation, and quickly flew the couple, Tione and Tiona back to Orario. Wiene would continue to have an extremely busy day picking up everyone at the 18 shacks. As Bell and Ais left the beach, Bell thought that he would remember the place of his breakthrough with Ais and all those special memories. Ais was having similar thoughts and how nice the beach was...

Once everyone was back in Orario, another trip to the 99th floor was planned for next morning. It would again be Bell, Ais and Wiene, but Mikoto would be added due to her defensive magic to help protective the 2 gods. It was vital that their divine presence was hidden as long as possible given the dungeon's response would be unpredictable. Bell was summoned to the moon to pick up additional elixir and potions for the trip while Harihume's group was activated again to boost Bell (double), Ais, Wiene and Mikoto. Welf also recharged the necessary armor pieces as well as Wiene's lightning edges.

After the meeting, Riveria, Tiona and Tione took Ais and asked her about Bell. That immediately made Ais extremely embarrassed but she was forced to answer everyone's questions under the threat of tickling feathers. The big secrets had to be divulged, like when was the first kiss, the second kiss, the third kiss, how many kisses a day, and has he done anything else? After Ais' interrogation, it was Bell's turn.

Tiona "Who said you are allowed to kiss Ais"

Bell "You said I was supposed to take responsibility and make progress"

Riveria "Tiona, you are responsible also now"

Tione "Have you done anything else"

Bell "Gentlemen do not tell"

Impressed, Riveria said "Do you have honorable intentions?"

Bell "Of course"

Riveria "What about your harem"

Bell "You are all released henceforth"

With that, Bell was beaten, hung upside down and feather tickled for a long time. When Ais discovered Bell, he was released, but they refused to tell her what he did to earn the punishment...

After the interrogation and the punishment, Bell and Ais went to dinner with Riveria, Tiona, Tione and Lefiya. They celebrated the successful god hunt mission and cheered for the success of the next mission to save the gods and their friends. After dinner, Bell and Ais enjoyed lap pillowing at home thinking about the 99th floor. Afterwards, it was time for wrestling and the reward...

The next morning, everyone met up at the dungeon entrance. Wiene transformed and they were off to save the gods...


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64 - Fateful Mission**

The next morning, everyone met up at the dungeon entrance. Wiene transformed and they were off to the 99th floor to save the gods. The team was flying and used vertical holes the entire way to speed up travel while avoiding monsters. Ahti and Vellamo were enjoying the flight but Mikoto did not like the flying so much. Encountered monsters in the early floors avoided them until the Goliath on the 17th floor. Bell and Ais quickly dealt with the goliath with a 30 second Ariel/firebolt attack. Bell and Ais went ahead to Rivira to touch base with the Xenos, while Wiene collected the magic stone. By the time Wiene arrived to Rivira, Bell and Ais already finished their short meeting and basically there was nothing new.

After another couple hours, they already passed Udaeus' floor and fortunately, it was too early for a respawn. The only encounters were with some insects that were repelled with firebolt and aerial. With the colosseums on the 45th, 47th and 48th floors, they were able to simply blast away at the entrance and at the exit without wasting much fire power. By lunch time, they were on the 50th floor. It was a short stop for lunch and time to put on Wiene's armor for the labyrinth floors. The most important issue was that Ahti and Vellamo have not thus far triggered any reaction from the dungeon. One of biggest concerns would be for monsters to be spawned everywhere if they are 'noticed'...

The flight through the labyrinth floors encountered 3 dragons. Saving Wiene's lightning edges, Bell and Ais relied on Ariel/crystal attacks with 30 second argonaut charging and then a couple follow-up Aerial/crystal attacks with no argonaut. They did stop to collect the magic stones, but they got through the labyrinth floors in one hour. The next challenge was the 60th floor where they had to slow down due to the abyss like darkness. Fortunately, there were no encounters on the floor, and the team quickly moved on. They have gotten really good at avoiding encounters, so the next problematic floor would be the 68th floor where they met the regenerating goliath on the last trip. However, it had not yet respawned so they were able to keep moving forward.

After another 2 hours, they reached the 85th floor which still resembled the 18th floor. They took a short break to rest as the frozen 86th floor would be next. After preparing everyone for the frigid floor, they headed down again. Fortunately, the white goliath had not respawned, and they were able to get past the floor without a major encounter. The next issue would be whether the red dragon respawned on the 88th floor. Luckily, the monster had not yet respawned. They kept going and got to the dark 91st floor where they had to slow down again. Like last time, there were several encounters but with scorpions and black rhinos that were defeated with Ariel/firebolt attacks. When they got to the 94th floor, everything was the same with many vertical holes that were brightly lit from the min-sun below. Before entering the 95th floor they called to let Hestia, Finn and Riveria know what they were about to do. They then went down one of the vertical holes and reached the 95th floor with the large cavern in the middle that led to the mini-sun.

Everything seemed to be undisturbed since their last trip with the glass tanks filled with baby virgas. They decided that destroying the incubation facilities would be left until they have looked into the mini-sun. They then went to look at the baby violas and those appear the same also. So they went below to the 97th floor with the strange metallic objects and containers.

Ahti and Vellamo looked through the various objects and containers, as well as the mini-sun. Unfortunately, they could not figure out what was going on either, and thus they would have to use their divine powers. The problem is how would the dungeon react to their divine presence, and so deep inside the dungeon. Would monsters start appearing in an insane rate? Would some new type of monster spawn with god-like powers? The goal of the trip was to rescue the gods, and they had no choice but live with the consequences...

Ahti suggested that he alone would use his powers and the rest should move up 1 floor in case the effects are disastrous. Once alone, Ahti activated his powers, causing a loud shock wave in the dungeon that the entire group felt. Ahti probed the mini-sun/white sphere and immediately understood that the white sphere and the black sphere were actually connected. Furthermore, the timeless dimension was actually within the black sphere so he would need to reach inside the black sphere to save the gods. As he probed the mini-sun, the entire dungeon underwent a few earthquakes. Nevertheless, Ahti continued to probe the mini-sun and realized that he could swap the white sphere with the black sphere with his powers, but then everything would be sucked inside.

Meanwhile in Orario, the various familias were gathering to discuss the team's progress when the earthquakes hit. With the earthquakes emanating from the dungeon, they suspected that was the dungeon's reaction to the use of divine powers...

Back on the 97th floor, the rest of the team rejoined Ahti and asked what was going on. Ahti explained what he had learned but the problem is if he swap the white sphere with the black sphere, then everything would be sucked inside just like the gods. Thus they must also be able to open up the black sphere to free the gods. Ais asked what about all those metallic containers and equipment. Ahti said that they only support the operation by keeping the sphere from moving. At that point, Vellamo suggested that she also use her divine powers to help. With no other choice, everyone agreed amidst the periodic earthquakes that seemed to be the dungeon's reactions to the divine presence.

Vellamo activated her divine powers, which immediately increased the severity of the earthquakes. With their combined powers, they learned that they could open up the black sphere temporarily before it would become unstable. Unfortunately they were not sure what would happen after the black sphere became unstable. Would it freeze time in the entire area? Would it then pull everything back in? Bell asked if the others got free, would they be able to control the black sphere better? Vellamo indicated she thought so, but the other gods would have no time to prepare nor react so it would not be realistic for them to lend assistance. Mikoto then asked if it was possible to restart time within the black sphere by using the white sphere in some way. Ahti and Vellamo probed some more and discovered that they could not restart time, but they could possibly merge the white sphere and the black sphere to cancel other out and freeing everyone inside. However, there was a risk of a massive explosion that would wipe out everything within a certain distance from the spheres. With the increasing severity of the earthquakes, they realized that they were running out of time. Thus, the decision was made to merge the white sphere with the black sphere but only the gods would stay on the 97th floor. With that decided, Bell, Ais, Mikoto and Wiene had 1 hour to fly away.

Thus the team headed up the dungeon levels while Ahti and Vellamo prepared to merge the white sphere with the black sphere. As the four adventurers left the cavern and into the 94th floor, they encountered a massive number of monsters. All they could do was to avoid as many as they could and kept flying up the dungeon. They discovered that monsters were spawning everywhere and the situation was completely out of control. However, all they could do was to use attack spells to open a path to keep flying up the dungeon floors.

For 1 hour, the team struggled with the thousands of spawning monsters, but then Ahti and Vellamo activated their magic. The black sphere materialized and slammed into the white sphere, causing a massive explosion...


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65 - The Return**

At the dungeon entrance in Orario, the gathered familias were experiencing more and more earthquakes of higher and higher strengths. However, they were without their powers and powerless to help. Finn and Bete were the most frustrated pacing up a storm at the entrance...

Meanwhile, Bell, Ais, Wiene and Mikoto were able to reach the relatively calm 85th floor after battling and running from countless monsters. It appeared the dungeon's reaction was the massive spawning of monsters as if the entire dungeon had turn into a colosseum. Monsters also started spawning in the 85th floor, but so far there has not been a major floor boss, so Ariel and firebolt have been sufficient. Mikoto and Wiene had been holding back to save their spells when an incremental amount of firepower would be helpful. Remembering this floor may have less monsters, they decided to stay as the 1 hour was about up. A couple minutes later, a massive explosion happened that literally blew up the middle of the floor. Furthermore, the destruction continued to the floors above so massive chucks of rock was dropping for several minutes through the newly-created cavern in the middle of the floor. The explosion also caused substantial damage to all of them but fortunately they survived to pour elixir on each other. The explosion also brought them some time as the nearby monsters were either destroyed or injured badly.

Back in Orario, they also felt the massive explosion along with an enormous earthquake that collapsed many buildings in the city. They were able to contact Ais, who told them the gods tried to merge the black sphere and the white sphere, which probably caused the massive explosion. Ais also mentioned that they should not try to enter the dungeon as thousands of monsters were respawning everywhere...

Back on the 85th floor, the rocks have stopping dropping and the team was finished pouring elixir on each other. Thus Bell and Ais took a quick look at the damage above and below. They could see that a lot of the floors below were probably entirely destroyed and that the explosion opened up the cavern up the dungeon to at least 30 floors above them. Thus, they had an extremely quick path now up and down the dungeon. Finally, they could hear voices below as well as smaller explosions which were probably ongoing fighting. Realizing the most likely scenario is combat between divine beings, they decided that there was nothing they could do, so they headed up the dungeon before the next massive explosion happens. Flying up the cavern, they could see that the cavern now extended above the 50th floor, but decided to stop on the 50th floor since there could have less monsters.

Back in Orario, the familias suddenly felt a sudden rush of power. After some testing, their falna powers have returned.! Realizing that they can now help Bell and Ais, Finn led the charge down the dungeon. With thousands of respawning monsters, more help would be needed. While the Ganesha familia stayed at the dungeon entrance with Asterius, the Loki familia and the Freya familia charged down the dungeon. In the early floors, they were able to tear through the countless monsters but they feared for Bell and Ais who could be battling thousands of monsters including floor bosses, high level monsters and whatever the dungeon would be able to throw at them. One hour later, they were able to reach the 10th floor where they met the Xenos, who were also running away from the uncontrollable number of monsters.

On the 50th floor, a black goliath and several large dragons appeared, but Bell decided to fly up instead of engaging the monsters. Thus, they headed up the cavern again. They were just able to get to the 33rd floor where the hole in the floor was only 10 feet wide. From there, they would have to fight their way up the dungeon floors. While they were out of reach for most monsters due to flying, swarms of hornets and dragonflies were starting to appear. With Ariel and firebolt, they beat back the insects closest to them and continued to head up the dungeon floors using various vertical holes. Finally, they were able to reach the 18th floor. At that point, Bell said they had to stop the thousands of monsters from reaching the higher floors and even into Orario. Thus they decided to seal the entrance between the 18th and 19th floor. To buy time, Mikoto used Futsunomitama to block the passageway while crushing monsters inside the passage way. At the same time, Ais and Wiene fought off monsters while Bell focused on charging without limit. After 3 minutes, they unleashed a fully charged argonaut Ariel/firebolt on the passageway while Mikoto applied heavy gravity. That successfully collapsed part of the passage way. To ensure that even the most powerful monsters cannot get through, Bell started charging without limit again after resting for a few minutes and drinking 2 potions. After another 3 minutes, they unleashed another fully charged argonaut Ariel/firebolt on an uncollapsed portion of the passageway along with futsunomitama. That collapsed the rest of the passageway, but Bell was almost at mind zero. Ais immediately gave Bell more potions to help him recover, and that helped Bell a little bit. Having sealed the 18th floor from the floors below, they continued to head up the dungeon as monsters were still everywhere...

Meanwhile in the deep floors, the massive explosion completed destroyed floors 89 to 99 with an enormous mount of rock and dirt. Apparently Ahti and Vellamo took massive damage from the explosion and returned to heaven. However, there were more than 100 divine presences activated, and a fierce battle was ongoing with Thanatos and Enyo, who were also freed from the timeless dimension. With so much divine power against them, Thanatos was incapacitated and his magic stone was forcibly removed. That did not destroyed him but his power was drastically reduced. Enyo was more difficult to control but finally the gods were able to collectively sealed Enyo's powers, at least temporarily. The problem was what to do with them. With the magic stone removed, Thanatos was much less of a threat. However, Enyo was even more powerful. Furthermore, the timeless dimension was collapsed so there is no place to safely keep Enyo. It was decided that both Thanatos and Enyo needed to be brought back to heaven and be constantly held under seal by several gods who would rotate in the task. With that, it was decided that Zeus, Hera and Loki would return to heaven with a number of gods. The gods then disappeared and went their separate ways.

As she monitored the events from heaven, Hestia realized that she would have flatsy to play with in heaven...


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66 - The Return**

After the gods departed from the deep floors of the dungeon, the violent earthquakes gradually reduced and then stopped. In heaven, Zeus, Hera, Loki and a number of gods returned with the sealed Thanatos and Enyo.

In Orario, as the earthquakes reduced and ceased, the citizens started to pick up the pieces while the Ganesha familia and the Xenos continued to guard the dungeon entrance. To their great joy, Gros and Lyd were materialized in front of them, though medical attention was still required.

The Loki familia and the Freya familia continued to charge down the dungeon worried about the thousands of monsters that could be surrounding Bell and Ais. While the monsters were primarily low level, the act of destroying the many thousands of monsters were exhausting for the fighters.

On the 18th floor, Bell, Ais, Wiene and Mikoto started heading up the dungeon again after having sealed the 18th floor from below. Before they could leave, another black goliath appeared. However, they did not stay to fight, deciding that it was better to get closer to the surface and worry about the monsters later. Even though it was the early floors, there were thousands of monsters every where and still difficult for them to avoid everything. Nevertheless, they were able to get to the 13th floor before running into their friends from the Loki and Freya familas. Seeing that their friends have regained their powers and the earthquakes have stopped, they were quite sure that the gods have returned and probably were victorious over the enemy. They quickly called Hestia to confirm the situation, but Hestia was only able to only to talk for 30 seconds. While she was able to confirm that the gods were back and Enyo was defeated, she was struggling in a cat fight with Loki pulling each other's hair out...

Realizing that their god rescue mission was successful, the adventurers must now handle the thousands or tens of thousands of monsters that spawned as the dungeon's revenge for the divine invasion into its depths. Since the passageway between the 18th and 19th floors was sealed, they would first concentrate on the spawned monsters in the top 18 levels. With Bell still drained of energy, Ais returned him to the surface with an escort from Wiene. At the same time, the Loki familia and the Freya familia focused on cleaning out the huge hordes of monsters. Fortunately most of the monsters were lower level, but there were still hundreds of minotaurs to be taken care of...

The next morning, Bell woke up in his bed and Ais brought him breakfast in their room. However, Bell said he was too weak so Ais had to give him a reward and feed him by hand. Ais quickly told him that the Loki familia and Freya familia spent 5 hours destroying several thousand monsters. So everyone was exhausted and resting up. With that information, Bell was instantly healed and got up, much to Ais' surprise...

With Bell recovered from his near-mind-zero, they went over to the Loki home. While visiting with their friends, Freya showed up to make a few announcements. First they were told that Zeus, Hera and Loki led a contingent of gods back to heaven to continuously seal and watch over Thanatos and Enyo, who were considered incredibly dangerous. Second, while Loki would be staying in heaven with her assignment, the Loki familia would be allowed to continue. Third, updates for both the Hestia familia and the Loki familia would happen on the moon, and familia members are allowed to spend 1 day per month with their goddess. Bell would get an extra day per the prior arrangement. Finally, Freya told them that all the baby virga and violas were apparently destroyed by the explosion, but they did see that there may have been an entrance to an area below the 99th floor. However, there was no longer an easy way to investigate as the entrance was covered up by a pile of rubble several floors high.

The meeting would take place on the moon in 2 days to go over details, and both Hestia and Loki would also be there...


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 67 - The Cleanup and the Big Meeting**

With the rescue of the gods and the victory over Enyo and Thanatos, the next major event was the meeting on the moon. However, the tens of thousands or more monsters spawned by the dungeon had to be dealt with. Due to overcrowding below, flying monsters still made their way up using the vertical holes even though the passageway between the 18th floor and below was sealed. Furthermore, leaving that many monsters to run amok in the dungeon could have unexpected consequences. For now, the Ganesha familia and the Xenos have secured the dungeon entrance, but at a minimum, something needed to be done about the vertical holes between the 18th floor and the 19th floor.

Since there was still 2 days before the moon meeting, there was time to take some action in the dungeon. Thus Bell, Ais, Mikoto and Wiene joined the Loki familia, Asterius and the Xenos on a short mission to seal the vertical holes between the 18th and 19th floors. If that can be accomplished, the Xenos can return to the 18th floor and watch over the sealed areas. Once the floor was secured, Rivira's residents could also return home and also share in the guard duty of the vertical holes.

As they descend down the dungeon, the number of beginner level monsters was back to 'normal', confirming that the dungeon had calmed down since over 100 gods appeared in its deepest depths. However, the group did encounter quite a few hornets and dragonflies that normally did not exist in the beginner levels. The flying insects did not pose a problem as Bell and Ais took care of them with Ariel and firebolt. After several hours on foot, they reached the 18th level. The level had the most flying insects, requiring multiple rounds of Aerial and firebolt. Nevertheless, the team quickly reached the first vertical hole and installed several layers of the metal netting, which was secured with large boulders on the side. Once secured, the netting proved successful in keeping hornets from entering the 18th floor. The same process was repeated at the 2nd vertical hole. Ais, Bell and Wiene then flew around to search for problematic monsters, but only found more flying insects that they defeated with Ariel and firebolt. After an hour of pest control, the floor felt truly secured. Afterwards, Asterius and the Xenos decided to stay and monitor the vertical holes. With the floor secured, the team started back up the dungeon. On the way up, Ais, Bell and Wiene did quite a bit of flying on floors 13-17 to search for more insects and problematic monsters. Fortunately, they only had to deal with 8 more hornets in those levels, as the Loki familia and the Freya familia did a thorough job in clearing out those floors the day before. Afterwards, they all headed back to the surface, with only 2 more hornet encounters.

Having spent the entire day clearing up the beginner levels, the group enjoyed dinner at the Hostess of Fertility. Mia and her workers were still not finished cleaning up after the earthquakes but they were happy to serve dinner for the group of merry adventurers. Dinner conversation covered many topics, including the baby monsters, what the deep floors looked like, as well as what other enemies remained in the dungeon. Eventually the topic changed to Bell and Ais. With that, Riveria mentioned that Finn had a gift for Ais, but Finn immediately said that he did not have it with him. Tiona then asked about whether Bell and Ais had plans, which puzzled both Ais and Bell. Tione then asked about what else did they do in their room, but Gareth quickly hushed her. After the teasing, they started talking about the moon and what it was like. Bell said he enjoyed it because of the reduced gravity. Bell then winked at Ais and said he wanted to try wrestling with the reduced gravity, which got Ais completely bright red. After dinner, they returned home and were so glad to see Miach and Takemikazuchi back there. They chatted for a little while about what the timeless dimension was like, but Takemikazuchi just laughed because there was no time so there were no sensations. Miach did tell them about the battle with Enyo and Thanatos. Apparently, it took 10 gods to control Thanatos and over 30 gods combining their magic to apprehend Enyo. That night, Bell and Ais got a good shower and just did a little lap pillowing before going to sleep. They were both too tired to wrestle...

The next morning, the guild had meetings with the familias so they could represent the guild's point of view at the moon meeting. The first matter was the Rivira residents who already headed back down the dungeon. The second involved when adventuring could start for floors 1-18 and then for floors under floor 18. Finally it was the matter of all the repairs needed in the city would require a lot of funds and raw materials from the dungeon. After the meeting, Bell and Ais decided to fly to the ocean to have some fun because they have no work for the afternoon. After flying to the same shack, they speared some fish for lunch and then played in the water for much of the afternoon. After a seafood dinner of clams and lobsters, they enjoyed the nice atmosphere of a campfire by the ocean...

The next day, everyone met at the guild for the trip to the moon. This included the top 2 representatives from each familia as well as the entire Hestia familia and the Loki familia. Asterius, Lyd and Gros were also representing the Xenos. Many gods were there also including Hephaestus, Freya, Njord, Ganesha as well as Hestia, Loki and Zeus who came from heaven. After 2 hours of arguing, the following decisions were made:

1\. Send Bell/Ais and Wiene with Lefiya, Riveria, Bete and Ottar to quickly cut down on the monster population below the 18th floor. The top priority was the flying monsters which could greatly magnify if they were to join in a battle. Meanwhile adventuring would be allowed from floors 1-17.

2\. The 18th floor would become the 1st line of defense to be jointly-manned by the Xenos and the surface familias, though Rivira residents also had a role. The block passageway between the 18th and 19th floors would be further fortified so it would be extremely difficult to penetrate. The metal netting over the 2 vertical holes would be replaced by heavy metal plates to be fabricated by the Hephaestus familia. The plates would have a door with a roll-up ladder that would be dropped when adventurers/Xenos wish to pass through.

3\. Powerful teams would need to be sent below the 18th floor to cut down the number of monsters in the dungeon. Currently, it appeared the number of monster was more than 10 times above normal.

4\. Less experienced teams were not allowed to descend below the 18th floor until tasks 2 and 3 are completed.

5\. Once tasks 2 and 3 are completed, a powerful team would need to be sent down to carefully inspect the damage from the explosion as well as any new monsters that may have appeared.

After the meeting, there was time for updating for the Hestia and the Loki familias but no one leveled, though Bell and Ais were getting close. While others were updating and chatting, Bell and Ais took a walk on the moon. Feeling naughty, Bell attacked Ais to try out wrestling on the moon... When they returned, they saw Loki and Hestia in another cat fight. Guess things were back to normal, which was reassuring to them.

After the updating and meetings were all finished, the groups returned to their respective locations. Over the next week or so, the dungeon cleanup would take place and then the deep mission to thoroughly inspect the deep levels. A lot of monsters would need to be defeated, which should help generate the magic stones that would help with the rebuilding of Orario.


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68 - Assault**

After returning from the moon, the 1st task was to cut down on the flying monsters below the 18th floor. That meant flying through the floors below to do a search and destroy mission on any flying monsters. This would cut down the risks for a ground party to enter the floors below. The mission would start the next morning, but there was time for the reunited Hestia familia to enjoy a nice dinner at a restaurant. The cause for celebration was the return of Haruhime and Lili. After dinner, the familia also got to tease Bell and Ais for the name tag on their room door as "Mr. and Mrs. Bell Cranel. The teasing got even more intense when the baby teething ring was noticed hanging on the door. It had been such trouble times that no one even had time to have fun...

The next morning, Bell/Ais and Wiene met Lefiya, Riveria, Bete and Ottar at the dungeon entrance to start their seek and destroy mission. They would descend the dungeon by foot to do a final inspection before the new adventuring policy took effect in the afternoon. For the next 3 days, adventuring would be allowed from floors 1-17 for adventurers for adventurers at least at level 3. After that, the experience level requirement would drop to level 2. With the dungeon partially opened up, a groundswell of interested was satisfied to help harvest the magic stones that would help with the rebuilding of Orario.

The descend to the 18th floor was uneventful. They did not see any more flying insects so the less experienced parties should be safe enough when the dungeon opens back up in a few hours. When they reached the 18th floor, they checked in with Asterius but not much had happened. It appeared the sealing of the passageway and the 2 vertical holes had successfully transformed the floor to a good 1st line of defense. When the Hephaestus familia finishes with the heavy metal plates for the vertical holes, it would become even more secure.

After a quick lunch, Wiene transformed and the group flew into the 19th floor through the vertical hole. Once on the 19th floor, they saw that the enormous numbers of monsters have not changed. Bell and Ais immediately had to start firing Ariel and firebolt. To destroy the maximum number of monsters possible, they headed for the largest rooms as Riveria and Lefiya started chanting. When they reached the largest room, Riveria fired off Wynn Fimbulvetr to clear the room. They then headed to the 2nd largest room, and Lefiya was ready with Fusillade Fallarica to clear off the room. They then dropped off Bete and Ottar at the vertical hole sites to seal them off with metal mesh and boulders, while Bell, Ais and Wiene kept monsters from interfering with their work. That also gave Riveria and Lefiya a little time to relax and drink a couple potions. After sealing off the vertical holes, they then proceeded to 2 other large rooms where Riveria and Lefiya destroyed the monsters with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. They then dropped off Bete an Ottar for them to get some fighting done while Riveria and Lefiya took a short break and drank 2 more potions. By clearing the 4 largest room and more with about 2 hours of work, the number of monsters had been sufficient prepared for a ground assault. They then headed to the passageway to the 20th floor.

After getting through the passageway on foot, they started flying through the 20th floor and repeated the same tactic. Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica were used to clear the 4 largest rooms. Bete and Ottar sealed the 5 vertical holes on the floor. Thus, two more hours of work and the 20th floor was also prepared for a ground assault.

This operation was again repeated for the 21st floor. They cleared the 4 largest rooms and 3 vertical holes were sealed. With another 2 hours of work, it was dinner time, and Riveria and Lefiya were pretty tired as they headed back to the 18th floor. After a quick check in with Asterius, they flew back towards the surface using the vertical holes. On the way back to the surface, they saw many teams defeating monsters and collecting magic stones. This should help with the rebuilding of Orario...

The next day, the air assault was launched on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th floors. They were able to perform the same tactic on those floors without any major issues. At the same time, Finn, Gareth, Tione, Tiona, Asfi, Filvis and Mikoto along with most of the higher level members of the Freya familia joined in for a ground assault. By the end of the day, floors 19-24 were brought back to 'normal' in terms of the number of monsters. Furthermore, all the vertical holes in these floors were sealed so that flying monsters could not get to the higher floors. That night, they decided to stay on the 18th floor to save time on their mission.

The 3rd day, the air assault successfully thinned out the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th levels. The ground assault was able clean out the same floors, so now floors 19-28 have been brought back to 'normal' with all vertical holes sealed. They again spent the night on the 18th floor.

The 4th day, the combined air and ground assault successfully thinned out the 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd floors. Thus, all the floors without the large central cavern have been brought back to 'normal' with all their vertical holes sealed.

The 5th day, the combined air and ground assault went through the 33rd floor and sealed the central cavern, which was only 10 feet across on this floor. Afterwards, they went into the large central cavern so that Riveria and Lefiya could fire off Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica, which defeated the many thousands of flying insects in the enormous central cavern. After that, they worked with more than 100 eager adventurers to collects the tens of thousands of magic stones of defeated monsters between the 19th floor and the 30th floor. To ensure there is no surprise, Bell, Ais and Wiene kept watch on the 30th floor to prevent any unexpected monsters from arriving from the deep levels. By the end of the day, those eager adventurers collected an enormous wealth of magic stones that instantly boosted available resources and the Orario economy for the reconstruction.

Thus, with less than 1 week, normalcy was brought back to floors 1-33. The next phase of the operation would clear up everything from floors 34 to 44, at which point the colosseums start.


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69 - Mountains of Magic Stones**

The next phase of the dungeon cleanup operation would clear up everything from floors 34 to 44, at which point the colosseums start. In the meantime, floors 19 to 28 were once again open to adventurers level 3 and above from 9am-6pm. The team of Asfi and Filvis was stationed on level 28 to make sure no surprise monsters show up above. The opening of these floors brought a lot of excitement because of the increased number of monsters. The increase in 'buzz' was driven by the ~100 lucky adventurers who were able to collect free money a couple days ago in the form of tens of thousands of magic stones from fallen monsters. Cashing in the magic stones greatly increased the flow of money in Orario, thereby boosting the local economy with the full multiplier effects in local restaurants and shops etc. Furthermore, the availability of the added natural resources was also critical for the rebuilding.

After a 1 day break, Bell/Ais and Wiene, Lefiya, Riveria, Bete and Ottar were ready to pick up where they stopped on their seek and destroy mission. At the same time, Finn, Gareth, Tione, Tiona, Asfi, Filvis and Mikoto along with most of the higher level members of the Freya familia also made their way down for a ground assault.

Of course, the flight team moved a lot faster. They flew down to the 18th floor and the trip was uneventful. When they reached the 18th floor, they again checked in with Asterius but not much had happened. As they used a vertical hole entrance to get to the 19th floor, they got to see the new reinforced metal armor plates for the vertical holes from the Hephaestus familia. Since the vertical holes have been sealed, their trip took longer to get to the 33rd floor. They did see that their previous trip was successful, as the number of monsters were about 2-3 times more than before, instead of 10 time higher. Over the next several days, regular adventurers should bring the population back to normal.

When the flight team reached the 34th floor, they continued with the similar tactic. First, Riveria fired off Wynn Fimbulvetr and Lefiya used Fusillade Fallarica to clear all the flying insects in the central cavern. They then went to the the largest room where Riveria again used Wynn Fimbulvetr to clear it. Lefiya then again used Fusillade Fallarica in the 2nd largest room. After that, Bete and Ottar sealed the vertical hole sites while Bell, Ais and Wiene kept monsters from interfering with their work. During that time, Riveria and Lefiya rested and drank a couple potions. After that, they proceeded to 2 other large rooms where Riveria and Lefiya destroyed the monsters with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. Bete an Ottar then were dropped off to get some fighting done while Riveria and Lefiya took a short break and drank 2 more potions. They were then ready to move on, and this operation was repeated for the 35th and 36th floors. They again cleared the 4 largest rooms and the vertical holes were sealed on each floor.

After 6 hours of work, it was time for dinner. The flight team went back to the 30 floor to meet up with the ground assault team. They would spend the night on that floor. The next day, with tougher monsters, they would start again on the 34th floor with a combined air and ground assault.

On the 2nd day, the combined assault was launched on the 34th, 35th and 36th floors. They started with clearing all the flying insects in the central cavern with Riveria's Wynn Fimbulvetr and Lefiya's Fusillade Fallarica. With the prior work by the flight team, those 3 floors were done after 4 hours and they had a quick lunch before going to the 37th floor. The ground assault waited for the 2 largest room to be cleared with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. While Bete and Ottar sealed the vertical holes, Ais and Bell attacked other flying monsters. After Leifya and Riveria had some rest, Wiene flew them to 2 other large monster gathering rooms for another round of Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. Within 2 hours, the floor returned to a reasonable number of monsters. At that point, a huge group of adventurers were ready to collect the magic stones of the fallen monsters. While the team continued to chase down flying monsters, thousands of magic stones were harvested. That would be it for the day, and they retreated to the 33rd floor to spend the night.

On the 3rd day, the combined assault was launched on the 37th, 38th, 39th and 40th floors. Another round of Riveria's Wynn Fimbulvetr and Lefiya's Fusillade Fallarica was needed to clear the insects off the central cavern. Then the same tactics were used to clear those floors while sealing the vertical holes. By the end of the day, the huge group of adventurers again collected the magic stones as team continued to destroy flying monsters. After another day of hard work, and they retreated to the 36th floor to spend the night.

On the 4th day, the combined assault returned the 41st, 42nd, 43rd and 44th floors back to 'normalcy'. With seemingly an unlimited supply of flying insects in the dungeon, the team again had to start the day with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica to clear out the central cavern. The same group of adventurers again collected many thousands of magic stones by the end of the day.

The team then headed back to the surface with floors 34 to 44 back to 'normal'. To improve their air travel, it was time to remove the seals to the vertical holes in the secured floors. Thus, on their way back up to the surface, the seals were removed from the 38th floor all the way to the 19th floor.

After their mission, floors 29 to 38 were once again open to adventurers level 3 and above.

After an one-day break, the tactics were changed for the colosseum floors due to stronger monsters and the colosseums. An entire day was devoted for each floor using only air assault by Ais, Bell, Wiene, Riveria and Lefiya. Each day, after cleaning out the insects in the central cavern, the air assault team would pepper a new floor with 4 rounds of Riveria's Wynn Fimbulvetr and Lefiya's Fusillade Fallarica. The next day, the ground team would come to the floor to finish the job. Thus, 7 days were needed to clean out floors 45-50.

At that point, the labyrinth levels were next. The question was how many dragons were spawned?


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70 - Dragon City**

After an one-day break, the next floors to cleanup were the labyrinth floors. It would be a big problem if thousands of dragons were spawned... Thus, the plan was to look into those levels from the central cavern and only attack if the number of dragons was not ridiculous. To increase the level of stealth, they would use their Hades Hats when dealing with the dragons.

The air assault team of Ais, Bell, Wiene, Riveria, Lefiya, Bete and Ottar started down the dungeon. The trip to the 18th floor was trouble-free, and they quickly met with Asterius, who confirmed things were 'back to normal'. Afterwards. they continued to fly threw vertical holes down to the 33rd floor to check on the number of flying monsters in the central cavern. While the number of flying insects were substantially reduced, it was still in the hundreds (instead of thousands). Thus, Riveria and Lefiya initiated the attack with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. After the central cavern was cleaned out, they waited for 30 minutes before a stealthy reconnaissance mission was launched.

To scout out the labyrinth floors, Ais and Bell would view those floors from the cavern while protected by the invisibility conferred by the Hades Hats. Just in case, Bell already activated hati in case of a magic breathe attack. Meanwhile, Wiene, Lefiya, Ottar, Bete Riveria landed on the 50th floor as Wiene could not use the Hades Hat in her Wyvern form. As Bell and Ais flew down from the 48th floor towards the labyrinth levels, Riveria and Lefiya started chanting their attack spells just in case.

Cloaked by the Hades Hat, Bell and Ais were able to quickly fly through the cavern to view the 51st to 57th labyrinth floors. There were a lot of dragons, but fortunately, there were not thousands of them. In their estimate, there were at least 20 dragons per floor. Thus, this would be a death trap for a ground assault. They also noticed that the labyrinth levels was not jammed packed with other monsters. Perhaps it was double or triple the normal levels, but much less than the other floors. Perhaps the other spawned monsters already became dragon food? To test out the power level of the dragons, Bell charged argonaut for 1 minute and they launched a sneak Ariel/crystal attack at a dragon on the 56th floor near the central cavern. The attack badly wounded the dragon, and they finished it off with one more Ariel/crystal attack. With the explosions, the monsters in those levels started moving, so they quickly flew back to the 50th floor.

The team then discussed the situation with their colleagues and also with Hermes, Freya, Loki and Hestia on a call. The agreement that it was not all bad because the huge dragon presence would be a significant deterrent for deep level monsters from passing through. Furthermore, as their food supply dwindles, the number of dragons would probably slowly come down naturally. However, 20+ dragons per level would be a problem for the planned trip to the deep levels. While they could fly a small number around the labyrinth levels, a retreat would only be possible by flying back around these levels. That would be an unacceptable operational risk. Ideally each labyrinth level would have less than 5 dragons. Thus, they agreed to a hit and run tactic that heavily relied on magic attacks from Bell, Ais, Lefiya and Riveria. This would require Bell and Ais to scope out their targets before the team would fly in to launch the magic attacks, after which they would quickly retreat to the 50th floor. Ottar and Bete would stay on the 50th floor just to make sure they could return to a safe location. Using this tactic, they would perform reconnaissance for targeting, fly in together and launch simultaneous attacks with 1 minute charge Ariel/crystal, Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. The joint attack, along with some follow-up attacks, defeated 5 dragons before the group returned to the 50th floor. They then waited for 1 hour to allow the labyrinth to 'calm down', while the spell casters rested and drank potions. Thus, they then repeated this two more times. At that point, Bell was really tired from argonaut use, and they retreated to the 18th floor to spend the night. On the way back, they removed the seals on the vertical holes on the remaining floors to increase the options they had for air travel. However, noticing there were more flying insects on the 32nd and 33rd floor, they decided an insect barrier was needed between the central cavern and the upper floors. So, they resealed the vertical holes between the 33rd and 34th floors and also between the 32nd and 33rd floors, as well as the 10 feet wide central cavern on the 33rd floor.

The second day, they repeated their hit and run attacks but on the 52nd floor. After 4 rounds of magic attacks, the number of dragons remaining on the floor was about 5. This was at least 2-3 times the 'normal' amount but they considered it to be a good number. Five more days of hit and run attacks were performed to clean up the 53-57 floors. After the week of attacks, the labyrinth floors were considered acceptable.

After the week of dungeon work, the team returned back to the surface to rest and plan on the next steps. In a meeting with the familia leaders, Freya, Hermes, Takemikazuchi, Ganesha, as well as Loki and Hestia by call, the decision was made to leave the dragon floors the way they were, and skip over them to the deeper floors. Over months, the dragon population would probably dwindle down by itself and those floors would currently serve as a good deterrent for unexpected monsters from the deep levels. Thus, the deep floors 58-85 would be next. The call also discussed the rebuilding effort, and the local economy that was booming from the massive infusion of magic stones and reconstruction.

With the cleanup of the labyrinth floors, all the dungeon restrictions were lifted except for the labyrinth floors. With that announcement, there was a huge rush by adventurers to collect the magic stones of the fallen monsters. Lili and Welf joined in on the fun along with the Takemikazuchi familia and the Miach familia.

After 2 days of rest, the air team and the ground team were ready for the deep floors. Furthermore, the gods went back to the secret headquarters to command and control the entire operation. After another round of Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica for the central cavern, the air team would quickly reach the 50th floor first, and wait for the ground team, which would require more than 1 day to reach there. While on the 50th floor, Bell and Ais conducted additional reconnaissance using their Hades Hat. They confirmed that the number of dragons was stable with a total of ~20 for all the labyrinth floors. They also confirmed that the deeper floors were still completely packed with monsters...


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71 - Voyage to the center of the earth?**

The team took a 2 days break before heading back into the dungeon to clean up the deep floors. During the break, Bell and Ais had some rest & relaxation time with their familia. The familia sort of joined in the overall euphoria in Orario due to the booming economy. This included cooking and going out to eat. They also attended a couple meetings, where the labyrinth floors were opened up again to level 5 and above.

To add to everyone's entertainment, Tione and Tiona happily spilling the beans on their visit. Thus the embarrassing kissing/wrestling in-the-tent scene had become common knowledge. Afterwards, all sorts of humiliation was forced upon Ais and Bell. Their familia even made them reenact the scene inside their tent because it would not be fair for Tione to get the exclusive viewing pleasure. In self-defense, Ais started to activate Ariel but was 'suppressed' by Tione and Tiona, with help from everyone else except Bell...

After 2 days of silliness, it was time to handle business. The gods went back to the secret headquarters to command and control the entire operation. Haruhime's group boosted everyone. The ground and air team met up and headed down the dungeon. With not much resistance, the air team quickly made it to the 33rd floor. After another round of Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica for the central cavern, the air team of Ais, Bell, Wiene, Riveria, Lefiya, Bete and Ottar would quickly reach the 50th floor, and wait for the ground team, which would require more than 1 day to reach there. While on the 50th floor, Bell and Ais conducted additional reconnaissance using their Hades Hat. They confirmed that the number of dragons was stable with a total of ~20 for all the labyrinth floors. They also confirmed that the deeper floors were still completely packed with monsters...

The next morning, the air team did some bug control in the morning with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica. Later in the morning, the ground team got there and then there was a call with Freya, Hermes, Takemikazuchi, Ganesha, Loki and Hestia. After the quick update, the plan to was clear out as much of the 58th and 59th floor as possible and use those as a temporary base for the deeper floors. This was preferable because it would not require passing through the labyrinth floors where dragons may happen to use their breathe on you if you fly by the cavern. Thus, Bell and Ais flew first pass the labyrinth floors with their Hades Hats. When the coast was clear, they called Wiene to ferry over Riveria, Lefiya, Bete and Ottar. They then cleared out the 2 largest rooms on the 58th floor with Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica, after which Riveria and Lefiya were dropped off and Wiene went to pick up the ground team. Afterwards, Riveria and Lefiya took a 30 minute break before the teams headed off to clear the rest of the floor. With the enormous number of higher level monsters from the dungeon's reaction to the gods, it took an entire day and 5 rounds of magic attack to thoroughly clear the floor.

The next day, the same attacks were used to clear the 59th floor after the insects were cleared from the cavern. After that, the abyss-like floor was next, but it was a huge challenge if it was full of monsters as it is very difficult to see. Thus, Finn suggested sealing the floor instead at least for a few months, which the gods all agreed with. Thus Bell charged argonaut with no limit and then fire off with Ais the argonaut Ariel/firebolt at the passageway to the abyss-like 60th floor, while Gareth applied earth raid at the same time. That successfully collapsed part of the passageway. Afterwards, Gareth used additional rounds of earth raid to collapse as much of the remaining areas as possible while the vertical holes were sealed with metal mesh and boulders.

The next day, Bell, Ais, Wiene, Riveria and Lefiya attacked the largest rooms on he 61st floor after bug control was performed again. After the initial set of spells were used, Riveria, Lefiya, Ottar and Bete were dropped off while Wiene carried over the ground team. The rest of the day was again needed to clear the floor. Afterwards, the passageway to the abyss-like 60th floor was also sealed from 61st floor side with a fully-charge argonaut Aerial-firebolt and earth raid, though the vertical holes could not be sealed from below...

For the next week, it was one floor per day of magic attacks and then land assault. While there were no significant difficulties or big injuries, it was very slow going getting to the 67th floor. In the call with the gods, it was agreed to pick up the pace by being less thorough. Starting with the 68th floor, they would no longer try to hold up the air assault waiting for the time consuming land assault. Instead, they would just focus on using Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica 4 times on each floor. Thus Riveria and Lefiya were able to attack 3 floors per day. After 5 more days, they were done attack all the way to the 82nd floor. The land assault did continue, but could not keep up with the air assault. After 5 more days, the air attack finished with the 82nd floor while the land assault only reached the 70th floor.

At that point, the party had not returned to the surface for 2 weeks. Thus, they decided they could finish up the rest on the next trip. One achievement was the amount of insects had been greatly decreased, as they no longer need to do pest control in the mornings. After spending a couple hours collecting a few thousand magic stones, the team headed back up the dungeon. After everyone was airlifted to the 34th floor, they walked back together. On the way, they stopped by Rivira and also checked in with Asterius. It appeared life was back to normal. In fact, with the blocking off of the 19th floor passageway and strict control of the vertical hole entrance, the situation was more secure.

After they got back to Orario, the first stop was trading in the thousands of magic stones. Other adventurers profited from their previous loads of magic stones, and it was quite an experience trading for the huge amount of valors. There would be quite a party to celebrate. After banking in the money, Bell and Ais returned home. There would be a 2 day break before a meeting on the next stage of the dungeon cleanup. After a familia lunch, they had some free time. So they decided to fly off to their log cabin by the sea for dinner and stay overnight. With their wrestling becoming common knowledge/gossip in their circle of adventurers, they were too embarrassed to enjoy themselves in the dungeon...

It was a beautiful day at the ocean. After spearing some fish, they went swimming at their private beach. After another round of the predetermined wrestling match, Bell was quite happy again with a blushing Ais. Barbarcued fish was quite tasty and lap pillowing by the campfire under the stars was so relaxing. When it came time to their wrestling for the evening, Ais decided to give Bell a better battle. Taking initiative, she jumped on Bell and attacked with all her strength. Surprised by the attack, Bell took a while to recover but eventually got the upperhand after a good 5 minutes of struggling. With the extra work, he decided more reward had to be extracted. As he collected his reward, they both heard someone gasping. Jumping to their attention, they investigated. Turned out Wiene had flown the entire familia to spy on them! Now everyone had a courtside view of their wrestling. Absolutely infuriated, Bell and Ais exercised their full abilities to tie up Lili, Haruhime, Welf, Mikoto and Wiene. As they were hung upside down and feather tickled, they desperately begged for mercy. After one hour of tickle torture, the group was finally released. The next day, the entire familia had fun in the ocean, but no one dared to request a repeat performance of the wrestling match...

It was finally the day of the meeting. The air team and the land team both met with the gods at the secret headquarters. First order of business for the team would be to finish cleaning up, as floors 83 to 88 were still full of monsters and some of those must have diffused into the higher floors. Then it was the matter of inspecting the destroyed floors. The gods also told them there was a passage on the 99th floor to somewhere else. The question was what was beyond the 99th floor and whether that passageway was now buried deep under the rumble. Was there a more powerful enemy even deeper in the dungeon closer to the center of the earth?


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter 72 - Find the Buried Treasure**

In the big meeting, the focus was cleaning up floors 83 to 88, which were still full of monsters, and then inspecting the destroyed floors. The gods also told them there was a passageway on the 99th floor to somewhere else. The question was what was beyond the 99th floor and whether that passageway was now buried deep under the rubble.

That evening, Ais and Bell sat outside to enjoy some outdoor lap pillowing under the stars. Everybody stayed away being afraid of severe punishment like that at the ocean. After Ais was carried back to their room, they were to absorbed thinking if there was an even more enemy even deeper in the dungeon closer to the center of the earth...

After the 3 day break from the rigors of the dungeon, it was time to finish their business. The secret headquarters was back in operation, and Haruhime's group boosted everyone. The ground and air team met up and headed down the dungeon. The air team of Ais, Bell, Wiene, Riveria, Lefiya, Bete and Ottar quickly reached the 33rd floor, and used a round of Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica for insect control in the central cavern. The air team then quickly reach the 50th floor, and wait for the ground team, which would require more than 1 day to catch up.

While on the 50th floor, Bell and Ais conducted additional reconnaissance using their Hades Hat. They confirmed that the number of dragons was still stable with a total of ~20 for all the labyrinth floors. They also confirmed that floors 83-88 were still full of monster, and some of those have diffused to floors 81 and 82.

The next morning, the ground team got there and then there was again a call with Freya, Hermes, Takemikazuchi, Ganesha, Loki and Hestia. After the call, Bell activated hati and the air team donned their Hade Hats and headed straight for the 80th floor. After making sure the coast was clear, Wiene ferried over the ground team.

From the 80th floor, the air team started on the 83rd floor and use Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica 4 times on each floor. By the end of the day, the air team was finished attacking floors 83-85 and the ground team was finished cleaning up floors 81-83. The next day, the air team was able to finish up the remaining floors (86-88), while the ground team finished floors 84 and 85. The third day, the two teams worked together in combined attacks and cleaned up floors 86-88. Thus they were done and again went back to the 50th floor to spend the night.

On the fourth day, the two teams went back to the 88th to explore and inspect the collapsed floors. From the vertical holes on the 88th floor, they could see enormous destruction of the floors below. There was an enormous pile of rock in the central cavern from the collapsed floors. The air team then flew down to check destruction while wearing their Hades Hats. They flew around and around. There were still small remaining portions of the deeper floors by the walls. However, it was total destruction. They searched for any remains of the glass container and metal containers, but could not find anything under the pile of rock. After searching for a couple hours, the air team returned and contacted headquarters.

After chatting with headquarters, the only conclusions that could be made was the incubation equipment was totally destroyed and that all the baby monsters died with it. Unfortunately there was really no way to know for sure. They also wanted to find the passageway to the deeper areas of the dungeon. However, everything seemed to be buried under at least 50 feet of rock, even at the far edges by the wall. Loki suggested sending Gareth down there to use earth raid to move some of the rocks. However, after work for 30 minutes, Gareth was unable to move an appreciable amount of debris. He would probably have to spend months down there to make a dent. Even if that was done, he could only shift the pile a bit and the pile could easily avalanche back. After another another hour of searching, the decision was made to stop and head back up to the 18th floor for the night. They use the central cavern again to ferry the entire team to the 34th floor, and had lunch. After lunch, Riveria and Lefiya launched one last set of Wynn Fimbulvetr and Fusillade Fallarica to clean up again the insects in the cavern. They then headed back to the 18th floor. The walk was uneventful with the large powerful party. They met Asterius and the residents at Rivira for dinner. After dinner, they decided to go back to the surface even if it was going to be really late. They were all home sick after the really intense period of dungeon clearing...


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter 73 - The Gift**

The team returned to the surface late at night, and everyone was eager to sleep in their bed. After a hot shower, Bell and Ais went straight to bed with no lap pillowing. It had been quite an ordeal to deal with all the bad guys and then cleanup essentially every known floor of the dungeon other than the abyss-like floor. Now they were going to enjoy a good night of sleep before going to a big meeting the next day.

The next morning, they woke up to the chirping birds and enjoyed a nice breakfast with their familia. The meeting is at the secret headquarters for lunch, so they had a morning to relax. So they went shopping and got a quick Jagamarukun at the old place that Hestia used to work. Ais got a new dress that Bell liked, and Bell bought some new clothes also. Before heading out for the meeting, they went back home to put away their new clothes. Ais wanted to wear her new dress, but Bell reminded her that they have not wrestled for many days. With that, the struggling began, but after a few minutes, Bell collected his predetermined reward from the blushing Ais...

After their fun, they flew to headquarters along with Wiene and the entire familia. The others were there already. Hermes and Freya called the meeting to order while Loki and Hestia were brought in by the communications rock. Gros and Asterius were also there representing the Xenos.

Hermes "Well, you did a great job cleaning up the dungeon. All restrictions have been removed other than the 60th floor. Someday you will need to open up those passageways and clean that out also."

Freya "Tell you what you saw at the bottom. No sign of the baby monsters? Can you see any way to find the passageway?"

Bell "We did not see any signs of the glass containers or the metal containers. Just all an enormous pile of rocks"

Gareth "There is at least 30 feet or more of rock debris covering the 99th floor. I tried to move it over and over again but there is no way using earth raid. Even if Bell uses his argonaut blast 1000 times, nothing much will happen with that much rock."

Ais "We would need hundreds or thousands to remove the debris, but where would we take it?"

Loki "This sounds like it is buried for good."

Ottar "I dont' think any monster could survive buried by that much rock"

Finn hand-drew an illustration of the bottom of the dungeon for everyone to see.

Hephaestus "We could try to build some type of tool to help remove the rocks. But this looks like it will take a very big effort by hundreds non-adventurers for a very long time.

Takemikazuchi "This is not practical. What normal civilians can be brought to the deep levels. We dont have that type of army to protect such an effort."

Hestia "Is there any type of magic that will help?"

Miach "Where is the Great Earth Spirit?"

Loki "All the great spirits, other than Ais, went missing after the great war."

Finn "Did something happened to them again"

Freya "They may have felt they have outlived their usefulness and faded away"

Bell "What about Ais"

Hermes "So protective... she will be fine, dont worry"

Bell and Ais both blushed badly after being called out.

Freya "Well we can worry about the vigras and violas all we want, but there is nothing that can be reasonably done"

Hermes "What about the passageway on the 99th floor?"

Loki "We are probably going to have to leave it be. Unless someone has a way to move all those rocks"

Gareth "No way we can do it"

Ais "Someone has to have incredible powers to remove those rocks"

Tiona "Like a god?"

Loki "Like a god. Even argonaut-kun cannot blast that much rocks away"

Freya "Gods are problems for gods, not children."

Riveria "Yes, it appears we just have to keep watching"

Hestia "May be this team can be reassembled every few months for a deep level inspection.

Bell "With the deep cavern, we can fly down there pretty quickly"

Hermes "Logistically, the dungeon has became a lot easier for flying. Asfi, may be you and I can spend some time there"

Asfi "You are crazy, and cause another dungeon meltdown?"

Hermes "It was exciting. Things are going to get boring around here with this team having defeated the dungeon"

Riveria "I am going back in retirement"

Gareth "Me too"

Hermes "Something going on there? : ) wink "

Lefiya and Filvis beat up Hermes with Asfi's approval. Hermes is gagged and hung upside down...

Dionysus "Filvis, dont go overboard"

Asfi "Unfortunately that is the only thing that works..."

Finn "I think we can declare victory. Bell and Ottar, we can schedule a visit to the deep levels every 3 months."

Bell "It would be fun working again with you guys"

Ottar "Yes, I am fine with that."

Freya "Yes job well done."

Takemikazuchi "There will be an official celebration tonight. Do enjoy the cookout"

Bell and Ais "Roasted meats yum"

With that, the meeting was adjourned. The gang hung out together until an early cookout dinner.

After the dinner, Riveria dragged Finn to Bell and Ais.

Riveria "Bell, Ais, Finn has a gift for you"

Bell and Ais "Wow"

Finn "... ..."

Riveria "Finn, do your job"

Finn "Well it was really Riveria's idea"

Riveria "What Finn really means to say was that I approved of his idea"

Finn "Well, it was more Riveria who thought of it"

Riveria "Just do it"

Finn "Well Ais, now that you moved to the Hestia familia, we thought that we never gave you a parting gift..."

He hands Bell and Ais a wrapped gift.

Finn "Dont open it now. Go back home and open it before going to sleep"

Riveria "Yes, dont open it now. It is better that you want before going to sleep."

Bell and Ais were kind of puzzled but they agreed.

That night, everyone flew home. After lap pillowing, Bell and Ais got ready for bed. Bell went to shower, and when he was done, he heard a loud scream from Ais ...


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74 - The Scream**

That night, after lap pillowing, Bell and Ais got ready for bed. Bell went to shower, and when he was done, he heard a loud scream from Ais. Bell immediately wrapped the towel around himself, activated hati, argonaut was charging, and ran to protect Ais.

When he got to the room, Ais was apparently fine, but her face was all red and she was trembling.

Ais "Bell, you only have a towel around you"

Bell "You screamed, what happened"

Ais "..."

Bell "Are you ok?"

Ais could not answer and was really flushed.

Bell "What happened? Why are you all red and trembling"

Ais "I am not..."

Bell looked around and saw on the bed a opened book with gift wrap next to it.

Bell "Oh that was the gift from Riveria and Finn"

Ais "Dont mention that book, it is bad"

Bell "What?"

Bell go towards the book to take a look

Ais "Stop!"

Bell "What is going on"

Ais "Nooooo don't look at it"

Bell "Is it a grimmoire? You have a new spell?"

Ais "..."

Bell picked up the book and the book was called "The Birds and the Bees. A How To Book"

Ais screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Bell realized what had happened, but he could not control himself. He started laughing. That really flustered Ais who starting beating on Bell...

Bell "LOL LOL LOL Ou, ou, ouch, stop, stop, LOL LOL LOL"

As Ais was beating him, his towel fell off.

Ais "You beast, put clothes on"

Bell "LOL LOL LOL You have seen me in a towel before LOL LOL LOL"

Ais "That was before, you put clothes on NOW"

Bell "LOL LOL LOL come on, ok stop hitting me and I will put pajamas on"

Bell goes and put on pajamas, while Ais turned her face to avoid seeing his naked body. They then went to sleep without wrestling.

At the Loki home, a worried Riveria and Finn were talking.

Finn "I am not sure we did the right thing"

Riveria "Of course you did the right thing"

Finn "It was your idea"

Riveria "You agreed to it. We are like her parents. It was our responsibility to teach her about that."

Finn "Dont you think you should have had a mother to daughter talk then?"

Riveria "But I am a high elf, I cannot talk about things like that. You should have done it"

Finn "That is insane. It would be totally weird, you should have done it"

Riveria "That is impossible."

Finn "How do you think she took it"

Riveria "Well they have been together for months, it is probably nothing new to Ais..."

Finn "You are right, it is probably nothing to worry about"

Back in the Hestia home, Bell and Ais went to sleep. Ais turned towards the wall and had trouble falling sleep. Bell also could not sleep especially without wrestling. After an hour, Ais could not stand the silence any more.

Ais "The book, you know what is in it?"

Bell "Yes I took a quick look"

Ais "So you knew those things all along"

Bell "... ah yes..."

Ais "It looks very unnatural... and scary... and ..."

Bell "Well it is just nature"

Ais "Scary... omg..."

Bell "Ais are you ok?"

Ais while clutching to the extra sleep shirt that she put on "No"

Bell "Come on, it is just nature, you have seen animals do it"

Ais "I never thought about it that way"

Ais "... Bell, have you been thinking about that type of stuff..."

Bell "... well no ... but it is just natural ..."

Ais "OMG, you want to do that! "

Bell "... Ais, dont think about stuff like that. It is just Finn and Riveria trying to be your parent"

Ais "You think so?"

Bell "Think about it, they are like your adopted parents. They probably felt a responsibility. But it was awkward and embarrassing"

Ais "It sure is embarrassing"

Bell "Go to sleep"

Bell hugs her, which made her almost jump and she did not resist...

After another hour, both finally fell asleep.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter 75 - Atonement**

The next morning, Ais and Bell woke up pretty early. Ais was still blushing in the morning. She hid the gift from Bell because she did not want him to see what she read.

Wanting to calm Ais down, Bell suggesting going to the ocean to enjoy the day. Ais gladly agreed to a change of scenery. The rest of the familia was wondering what was going on with Ais being so nervous all morning. Lili heard the scream and asked about it. Bell said Ais had a bad dream...

At the ocean, Ais suddenly realize they were going to go swimming. And she knew there was going to be some wrestling and she got more nervous. When it came time to put on the swimming suit, Ais was blushing and even more self-conscientious. Realizing the awkward situation, Bell suggested catching some fish for an early lunch. That made Ais relax a bit, and as they focused on catching lunch. The fish was really good after a long hiatus from the ocean. Afterwards, it was time to go swimming so Ais knows what was next.

After swimming, it was time for wrestling, but there was no fight in Ais. Bell just pinned her with ease, and collected his reward.

Bell "Ais, are you ok?"

Ais "I am ok"

Bell "But you did not fight back"

Ais "You are stronger so I know resistance is futile"

Bell "So I can now get my reward any time I want?"

Ais blushed "Yes"

Bell collected another reward "Oh this is good"

Ais had to ask "Bell, I need to know something"

Bell "what?"

Ais "In the distant future, very distant future, if we do something like that, would your argonaut go out of control?"

Bell ROTFLOL for 5 minutes.

Ais "Not funny, I want to know"

Bell "I dont know, do you want to find out"

Ais knocks Bell out for punishment.

When Bell woke up, he was tied up next to the angry Ais.

Bell "Ais, let me go"

Ais "You need to be tied up"

Bell "Come on Ais : ) "

Ais "You have a dirty mind"

Bell "I am a guy"

Ais "Now you admit to having a dirty mind"

Bell "My grandfather ..."

Ais "Your grandfather what? ..."

Bell "..."

Ais "Your grandfather taught you?"

Ais "OMG, your grandfather taught you about the bees and the birds?"

Ais "All this time, you were thinking about the bees and the birds when we sleep?"

Bell "It is natural"

Ais "OMG OMG OMG you are bad. you are bad. you need to atone for your bad thoughts. you are going to use argonaut on me!"

Bell "Ais, calm down, we are human, it is natural"

Ais "I am so scared. It will hurt. You are going to use argonaut"

Bell "LOL LOL LOL We dont have to do it now"

Ais "Now you admit to wanting to use argonaut. That is really scary. I am not ready..."

Bell "I know... we have all the time in the world"

Ais "Thanks"


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 76 - Routine**

After their talk, Bell and Ais had a nice seafood dinner and enjoyed the camp fire. It was really nice to have a cabin by the ocean. They decided to spend the night there. After lap pillowing, the sleeping Ais was carried inside, and they settled in for the night. Bell decided wrestling was not a good idea, and before he knew it, it was morning and they flew back home.

Their dungeon duties was pretty simple: help maintain the dungeon, check on the deep floors, meet with the Xenos, and collect magic stones. When they go into the dungeon, they often do it as a familia and sometimes they join in with the Loki familia, Takemikazuchi familia and Miach familia.

When they are in Orario, they would meet with other top teams to help maintain order. With Orario recovered and construction booming, life was pretty good for everyone. They may go play with Tione and Tiona. With Leifya still jealous, Ais often meets with Leifya and train or go shopping. With Riveria and Gareth retired, they have plenty of time for tea and sitting in cafes. Riveria and Finn still come by to the Hestia home to check on things.

Of course there were the monthly visit to Hestia on the moon. They would schedule things so they get to visit Loki also so everyone has fun on the moon together. Hestia still provides maternal nurturing for Bell, but Ais does not even get jealous. She did teased Hestia once that she was better at nurturing than Hestia, and that got Hestia's competitive spirits up and got Bell in deep trouble...

In Orario, Bell and Ais are The Couple, and everyone recognizes them anywhere they go, whether they are in restaurants, shopping or just strolling around. Since they are recognized everywhere, they will often go on trips to the ocean and fly around by themselves in private.

In short, life has become routine, and routine was good. There was still plenty of spice in life, and the entire familia knows Bells gets knocked out once in a while after a scream from Ais behind closed doors. Of course, no one dared interfere knowing the potential consequences.

...

...

just like that, three years have gone by. things changed but things only remain the same. in those 3 years, there were no major wars or crisis. no one had any major level up. Orario construction was all finished up. everyone is still living in the same locations.

...

...

One day, Bell was strolling down the street but he noticed someone was following him. He was curious but kept his guard up. As he turned at a corner, suddenly he was grabbed and gagged...


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77 - Huge Conspiracy**

As Bell was strolling down the street, he noticed someone was following him. He was curious but kept his guard up. As he turned at a corner, suddenly he was grabbed and gagged. Bell has been kidnapped!

Turns out the kidnappers are none other than the leaders of the Loki familia. They motioned Bell to keep quiet and carried him into a restaurant that is empty after the lunch rush. Bell was very worried thinking that the Loki familia may have been possessed by some high-level magic, so he did not struggle and went along to see what is going on.

After sitting Bell down, Riveria goes to the restaurant owner to explain, and the owner immediately put out the "closed" sign. Riveria thanked the owner and gave him a token of her thanks, and the owner left the restaurant to give them privacy.

To Bell's surprise, Tione just walked through the front door and with her was Lili, Welf, Wiene, Haruhime and Mikoto. They join Riveria, Finn, Gareth, Bete, Lefiya and Tiona. Bell is now really worried, as it is apparent that something has taken control of all his close friends who were also among the most powerful in their world.

Finn, Riveria, Welf and Lili were sitting close to Bell, and it appears they are the leaders of the group.

Finn "It has been 3 years since our victory. You and Ais have been together for 3 years under the same tent. What are your intentions?

Bell was almost relieved "Well we are dating and having a good time"

Riveria "Dating for 3 years. Are you intentions honorable?"

Bell "Of course"

Lili "But Bell sama, what are those strange noises that come from your room"

Bell got all red "What strange noises?"

Welf "Last week, we heard Ais screamed and yelled something about argonanut"

Gareth "Argonaut! What in the world are you doing?"

Tione "Bell, Ais is my sister, you better be good to her. You cannot use argonaut on her"

Bell was now super embarrassed "I am not hurting Ais. We are having a good time"

Riveria "How could you be scaring Ais with argonaut? That is dangerous"

Bell did not know what to say.

Lili "How could you use argonaut inside the home? You could blow up the entire building if you fire it off"

Bell did not know what to say.

Bete "Bell, you have great power in argonaut. You cannot be abusing others with it. And that is coming from me."

Tiona "Bell, what do you do with argonaut and Ais?"

Bell is super embarrassed and has entered scared rabbit mode.

Finn "Bell, what could you possibly use argonaut for?"

Bell "... I am not ..."

Mikoto "But we all heard Ais screaming argonaut"

Haruhime "Tell us the truth, we are your family"

Wiene "Bell, we want to know and help you"

Tione "That is our little sister. You need to tell us"

Bell is now in fetal position "I cannot say. It is too embarrassing"

Finn "Bell, is your argonaut powers going out of control?"

Lili "Bell sama, we want to help you"

Riveria "If argonaut goes out of control, we all need to know."

Bell "... ... argonaut is not dangerous. it is fine ..."

Welf "But why is Ais screaming about it"

Finn "Bell, if Ais is screaming, why is she screaming"

Lefiya "Yes Bell, you have a responsibility to tell us. We are Ais' family. You may have taken her away from us. But we are still her family"

Mikoto "Come on, Bell, you can tell us.

Bell "If I tell you, Ais will kill me"

Riveria "What? What in the world is going on"

Bete "Why would Ais kill us if she is scared of argonaut"

Riveria "Ok, we are going to stop messing around. Tickle torture time."

Everyone jumped on Bell and tied him up. Bell is hung upside down and multiple feathers were deployed.

After 10 minutes of tickle torture, Bell was tearing and screaming stop. But the interrogators demanded an answer.

Bell "hahahahahahah stoppppppppppp I cannot tell you. Ais will kill me and then all of you hahahahahahahaha"

Finn "Bell, you are going to have to tell us"

Riveria "Bell, we like you but we have to get to the bottom of this"

After 1 hour, Bell was valiantly resisting but the huge group was determined.

They stopped for a few minutes for more interrogation.

Gareth "Young boy, you have to tell us. We are trying to help you and Ais"

Bell "We do not need help"

Lili "Bell sama, we are family. You need to tell us what is going on with argonaut"

Bell "I cannot say anything else"

Tickle torture resume for another hour.

At the end, Bell could not take it any more "Ais is not screaming about big bad argonaut. Ais is screaming about little argonuat"

...

...

With that, the entire room was quiet ...


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter 78 - Argonaut**

After 2 hours of tickle torture, Bell could not control himself any more. While laughing, he yelled out "Ais is not screaming about big bad argonaut. Ais is screaming about little argonaut"

Everyone became red-faced and really quiet. Bell's words gave them all an incredible 'visual' that was undeniably shocking to all. Riveria was so embarrassed she covered her face in shame. Finn, Bete and Welf could not help themselves and were all ROTFLOL. Even Tione and Tiona were embarrassed with a wide-eye "OMG". Lili and Haruhime were giggling uncontrollably saying "Wow Bell sama is powerful. I never thought argonaut could be used like that". Gareth was red faced and mumbling to himself something like "We are fools". Lefiya was beyond embarrassed, turned away while frustrated with herself. Mikoto was also embarrassed and hid her face in shame.

After a few minutes passed, the boys recovered and got up, and the ladies were still all embarrassed with themselves. Riveria retreated into the corner of the room, while Tione and Tiona suddenly started giggling uncontrollably.

The red faced Finn realized someone had to take responsibility of the situation. So he released Bell who was equally embarrassed. Bete was so embarrassed he could not look Bell in the eye and grumbled to himself. The awkward silence was deafening as no one knew what to say. Finn realized this was time for a strategic retreat so he said "Bell, let us reflect on what happened and we will get back to you. In the meantime, we would appreciate if you would keep this to yourself. Whatever you do, do not cause Ais any distress about what happened" With that, everyone beat a hasty exit leaving Bell in the restaurant by himself.

Realizing the silliness of the situation, Bell starting laughing, which became ROTFLOL. After recovering, he went to take a long walk, as he will have trouble looking Ais in the eye. He is also dreading the next time he sees the rest of the familia. He does not know whether he would die of embarrassment or start ROTFLOL.

Meanwhile at the Hestia home, Welf, Lili, Haruhime and Wiene looked at each other, and did not know what to say. If Ais finds out, they know they are dead meat. They also don't know how to look Bell in the eye either.

Welf "I have never been so embarrassed. How are we going to deal with Bell from now on?"

Lili "I don't know. This may be the dumbest thing anyone has ever done"

Lili " OMG, I cannot believe I said - How could you use argonaut inside the home? You could blow up the entire building if you fire it off. Oh I am a fool...hahahahahaha"

Haruhime "How could we be so stupid. We even told him about Ais screaming about argonaut hahahahahahaha"

Mikoto "And I said we all heard Ais screaming argonaut hahahahahhahaha yes we are so dead"

Wiene "I think I want to visit Asterius and the Xenos - good time for a late visit"

Lili "I want to go with you, but we have to face them sooner or later"

Haruhime "This is the most humiliating experience imaginable, but I never thought about argonaut like that. Bell sama could be the most powerful man ever."

Welf "Well, we are going to have to cope. There is a familia dinner tonight. We may as well start cooking. I hope Ais never finds out. We are so incredibly stupid.

With that, they went shopping and started cooking.

At the same time, the Loki familia was having similar reactions.

Finn "OMG, that was unbelievable. How could we have not realized what he was trying to avoid saying"

Riveria "I have brought shame to the high Elf tradition."

Gareth "And I have brought shame to all dwarfs. One would think by our age, we would have known better"

Finn "And I have to all Pellums"

Riveria "Finn, I have to give you credit. I don't know how you recovered enough to announce the strategic retreat"

Tiona "Let us reflect on what happened and we will get back to you. In the meantime, we would appreciate if you would keep this to yourself. Whatever you do, do not cause Ais any distress about what happened hahahahahahahahaha"

Tione "Finn, how did you say that with a straight face?"

Gareth "It was very dignified"

Bete "I don't know how I am going to face Ais again.

Tiona "I don't know either, I will start giggling uncontrollably"

Tione "And I said - You cannot use argonaut on her hahahahahaha"

Tiona "And I asked - what do you do with argonaut and Ais? hahahahahahaha"

Tione "hahahahahhaha Bell has the most powerful ability ever. hahahahahahahahaha"

Tiona "Yes, all other men would be jealous hahahahahahahahaha"

Finn "Tiona, if you open your mouth, none of us would survive the night"

Bete "I never thought I will say this. But I feel so much shame I don't know how to talk to rabbit boy again"

Lefiya "OMG that was way too much information and my mind is visualizing horrible scenes, and we brought it all onto ourselves"

Riveria "Well we did bring it to ourselves. And we are going to have to live with it. This is the most humiliation i can remember ever."

Finn "If this ever got back to Loki, I fear what she will say"

Gareth "She would lower our level and we would deserve it hahahahahahahahaha"

Bete "As least you can laugh about it."

Lefiya "Dear parents, we regret to tell you your adventuring children were killed because they are stupid"

Finn "Not stupid. It is so stupid there is no word for it. We are beyond stupid beyond idiot"

Tione and Tiona started laughing also. Very soon the whole group started laughing, resigning themselves to their fate, whatever that would happen...


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79 - Great Evil Alliance**

As the Loki familia executives discussed their incident with Bell, they slowly came to acceptance of their collective stupidity and ultimate doom. Resigned to those facts, the whole group started laughing hysterically and became ready to accept what would happen if Ais finds out...

Two days went by without further stupidity. At the Hestia home, everyone went out of their way to be nice to Bell while being too embarrassed to look at Bell eye-to-eye. Bell was embarrassed himself so he did not push his advantage. Ais did noticed something strange with the atmosphere at home, which seemed strangely tense. At night, Bell was too embarrassed to attack Ais, knowing that screams can be heard throughout the home. Bell's plan was to go to the ocean cabin more often to avoid the humiliation and embarrassment for everyone.

After the situation was allowed to cool off at the Loki home, the guilty parties gathered together to discuss the situation.

Finn "Well it has been a few days, and Ais has not declared war. I guess we are safe"

Bete "Yes, we would have been punished by now if Bell told her"

Riveria "I still have brought shame to the high elf traditions"

Gareth "I did also to all dwarfs, but lets discuss how we are going to move forward"

Tiona "I can just ask Ais about argonaut hahahahhahahahahahahaha"

Everyone beat up Tiona who was hung upside down.

Finn "Yes, now we should discuss what to do"

Riveria "Don't you think it would be better if they got properly married?"

Tione "Oh Ais would be so pretty in a wedding dress!"

Lefiya "Oh that really stabbed me in the heart..."

Finn "Yes, if they were married, then we can have all the fun we want and it would be acceptable"

Gareth "Well, it has been more than 3 years and they are old enough"

Bete "Yes, they should get married and the awkwardness would go away"

Riveria "Bell has to ask the question. Ais would definitely say yes"

Tione "Bell will go in scared rabbit mode."

Gareth "We just have to convince Bell - give him a deadline"

Finn "Deadline needs a threat"

Bete "Rabbit boy is a coward when it comes to this. We just threaten to tell Ais that he told us about argonaut"

Finn "Wow, Bete is seriously deviously. Use our weakness as our strength. Brilliant"

Tione "I like it. Bell would faint and give in"

Riveria "Yes this may just work. Tell Bell if he does not propose, then we will tell Ais that he told us about all their naughty argonaut tricks."

Gareth "Yes I think this will work. Bete is seriously clever. We will act from a position of strength and Bell will fold and do what he should do"

Riveria "I can say to Bell that he needs to take responsibility or he will be exposed"

Tiona "You guys are so evil. I like it. Now release me!"

Finn "If Hestia and Loki find out, we are dead meat"

With that, the team came to an agreement. They will talk to Bell and give him his ultimatum. The first step is to get buy in from the Hestia familia so they can all conspire together. Tiona and Tione were sent to fetch the Hestia familia. To avoid being caught, Wiene was sent to keep Bell and Ais occupied by doing a trip to the ocean to eat seafood.

So to be super secure, they agreed to meet on the 2nd floor of the dungeon.

Lilli "Ok, what do you guys want to do? It has been so difficult at home because of what happened"

Welf "Yes we have been walking on pins and needles for the last few days"

Finn "The solution to our problem is that Bell and Ais get married"

Riveria "If they get married, then all the teasing is fair game even if argonaut is mentioned"

Welf "Bell is a super coward when it comes to this. How are you going to get them married?"

Finn "Riveria will do the talking but you guys need to be supportive."

Riveria "Yes, I will tell Bell that he needs to take responsibility since it has been more than 3 years"

Lili "Like Welf said, Bell sama is a super coward. This would not work"

Riveria "Well, if he does not properly propose, then I will have no choice but to tell Ais about how Bell told everyone about argonaut"

Haruhime "OMG hahahahahahahaha vicious"

Mikoto "OMG I cannot believe it"

Gareth "Our weakness is only a weakness if we treat it like a weakness"

Lili "OMG, this will actually work. Bell will give in but he will still have an impossible time proposing"

Finn "That is why we need your help and cooperation"

Welf "I like it. It may just work"

Lili "Wow, the Loki familia is so sly and ruthless"

Haruhime "Poor Bell sama"

Riveria "Think of this as helping them to progress on with their life"

Finn "Yes, we are helping them do what they need to do"

With that, their great evil alliance was created.


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter 80 - Going Shopping**

With handshakes among the founding members, the great evil alliance between the Loki familia and the Hestia familia was established. To execute their evil plans, they first needed to surprise and shock Bell with the threats and demands. Of course, the plans must be carried out with great precision. To keep Ais from accidentally finding out, a diversion is needed. However, the key people, particularly Finn, Riveria, Lili, Welf and Bete must be applying the pressure on Bell to insure that he gives in. The forces must be so overwhelming that Bell would know he had absolutely no choice. Thus, it was decided that Tiona, Tione and Lefiya will be the ones to keep Ais busy by taking her shopping the next day. The excuse was that Tiona got a discount card from a few clothing storeowners who were happy to comply with Riveria's request. Once Tiona and Tione reach the Hestia home to pick up Ais, Lili would call Riveria using the communications rock to have them start "Operation Ring".

Next morning, Tiona, Tione and Lefiya arrived at the Hestia home to have breakfast. After breakfast, they headed to shopping with Ais. Lili immediately called Riveria and the Loki familia group headed for the Hestia home. At the same time, Lili followed the girls to the shops in her disguise to make sure that there was no surprise. Just in case, Tione had a communications rock with her so she could call Riveria or Lili in the event of a surprise. Half an hour later, everyone arrived at the Hestia home and were ready for put Operation Ring on full throttle.

Bell was innocently lounging around downstairs when everyone showed up. They all converged on Bell with very serious looks on their faces. Bell knew this was serious as the mood was very solemn.

Finn "Bell, we need to talk"

Bell "ah,... ok"

Riveria "You need to take responsibility. It has been over 3 years, and it is time you propose to Ais"

Bell "What... propose what?"

Riveria "It is time for marriage"

Bell faints.

A few minutes later, Bell wake up on the sofa but he is still surrounded.

Riveria "Again, you need to take responsibility. It has been over 3 years, and it is time you propose to Ais"

Bell goes in scared bunny mode.

Lili starts on her role "Bell sama, you are using argonaut on Ais. You need to do the right thing"

Bell is speechless and totally red.

Lili "Bell sama, you have always done the right thing. You know it is the right time"

Bell goes into fetal position.

Riveria "Bell, you must think about what is good for Ais and her reputation."

Bell "But I am scared. What if she says No?"

Finn "That is ridiculous. You are already using argonanut"

Bell "... but not like that ... you guys have dirty minds"

Bete "We are not the ones using argonaut."

Riveria "Bell, you are not giving us any choice. If you do not propose properly to our princess Ais, we will have to tell her about what you told us about argonaut"

Bell "NOOOOOOOOOO, please do not do that. Ais will kill me"

Riveria "Bell, you know you want to marry Ais. Just propose to her. She must be waiting for it. She is a nice girl after all and she dreams about her parents' lives."

Bell "But I am scared"

Bete "Bell, you need to man up and do what needs to be done."

Riveria "Well, you need to do the right thing. Go get a ring and propose."

Finn "Bell, we can help you. We can go ring shopping as a first step. Bete and Welf would help you too."

Bete and Welf "Yep, we will do our parts as long as Bell does his part"

Riveria "Ok, it is decided. Finn, Bete and Welf will take Bell ring shopping this afternoon.

Bell "But Ais is shopping today with Tiona, Tione and Lefiya. She may catch us"

Riveria "Dont worry, we will make sure that does not happen. Just gather your valors"

Bell obediently went up to his room...

Riveria "OMG, it worked"

Finn "We were so ruthless I could not believe it"

Lili "Ok, you guys go ring shopping and I will go find the girls at the stores. I will take them away from the shopping areas. We will be in touch by communications rock"

With that, Finn and Bete stayed at the Hestia home while Riveria returned to the Loki home. Lili headed out to the stores to lead them away from the jewelry shop areas.

After lunch, Bell, Bete, Welf and Finn went ring shopping. After going to a couple stores, Bell picked out a ring that he think Ais would like. Afterwards, they headed to the Loki home to meet with Riveria.

Riveria was positively beaming to see the ring.

Riveria "You know how to propose"

Bell "Yes"

Bell starts but fainted...

Riveria "Oh my, this is going to take work"...


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter 81 - It's a Date**

After Bell purchased the ring and returned to the Loki home, Riveria had Bell show them how he would propose. Bell starts but fainted...

Riveria "Oh my, this is going to take work"

Finn "What are we going to do"

Bete "Rabbit boy is a complete coward"

Riveria winks "As if you are any better"

Bete grinds his teeth but has no response...

Welf "I don't know how to help Bell. He may never be able to say those words"

Finn smiles "I have an idea but we need to go on a secret mission."

...

...

Finn and Riveria went on a secret mission to complete their evil mission because they needed the help from a master. Fortunately, they found him at his home.

Asfi "Riveria, you are like a mother"

Hermes "Well, I could be helpful in your cause, but ..."

Finn "What do you want"

Hermes "I always wanted to know how it is like to be kissed by a high elf on a romantic date"

Finn faints while Asfi is besides herself.

Riveria "So that is your price."

Hermes "Yes, but you have to enjoy the date"

Riveria "Alright, I will agree to it"

Hermes "But you need to be happy : ) and no one can interfere or spy"

Riveria "Ok, tonight works for me."

Hermes "Ok, I will get you at your home at 6PM"

Riveria "Alright"

Riveria and Finn retreat back to the home.

Asfi "You have outdone yourself this time"

Hermes pats Asfi on the head "Don't be jealous. I have never went on a date with a high elf before"

Asfi "This is not going to end well"

As Finn and Riveria walk home, Finn is really worried.

Finn "Riveria, this will be the biggest news on the year. You do realize that?"

Riveria "Yes"

Finn "And what is the entire familia going to say when they see Hermes coming to pick you up"

Riveria "Just tell them I have some business to discuss with Hermes"

Finn "OMG Hermes must be up to no good. You know that"

Riveria "But he is good for his word, we have seen that before"

Finn "I will not say any more"

When the two returned to the Loki home, Gareth, Lefiya, Bete, Tiona and Tione were all there. When they were told about the price, Lefiya left to punish Hermes but was restrained by Riveria.

Lefiya "I am going to destroy Hermes"

Riveria "He is a god and we need his help"

At the same time, Bete, Tiona and Tione were ROTFLOL.

Lefiya "You idiots, this is not funny"

Lefiya starting to chant but again was stopped by Finn and Riveria.

Gareth "He is coming here to pick you up?"

Riveria "Yes, he is. If there are questions, just tell the junior members that we are out to talk business"

Gareth "This is not going to end well"

Finn "I think a lot of us are thinking the same thing"

When it came time for the date, Hermes rang the bell and Tione let him in. Hermes came all dressed up with 2 dozen roses for Riveria.

Riveria put the roses in a vase "Oh these flowers are nice. Thank you"

Hermes "I am glad you like them."

All the junior Loki familia members were shocked and did not know what to say.

Hermes "Shall we, reservations at 630."

Riveria "Yes, lets go"

Hermes winked at Finn and Gareth "See you later, don't wait up for us"

After the door closed, Finn, Gareth, Lefiya, Tiona and Tione went into a private room.

Finn "Well there is nothing we can say to the junior members after the roses"

Gareth "Hermes is a pro, he knows exactly how to make a splash."

Lefiya "I am going to arcs ray him"

Tione "Come on, Lefiya, a deal is a deal"

Tiona "I think it is kind of cute"

Gareth "Well, what will we say if others ask?"

Finn "Just say I don't know. We have no idea what others will see in public particularly at the restaurant"

Gareth "Right, being caught in a cover-up makes it seem even worse"

Tione "Oh wow, what trouble we have caused"...


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter 82 - Hermes in Action**

After Riveria left with Hermes on their date, Finn, Gareth, Lefiya, Bete, Tiona and Tione were sweating away the time in a private room. Lefiya is still furious but she knows she has to honor the deal.

After some time passed, Loki calls them from heaven.

Loki "What is going on down there?"

Finn "Oh I am gathered with some members to chat about some minor details.

Loki "Finn, I am calling about Riveria."

Finn "What about Riveria?"

Loki "Do I have to spell it out for you? The gossip got all the way up here."

Finn "Wow, what are they saying"

Loki "Well, Hermes took Riveria to a fancy restaurant. Musicians are serenading them as they dine. They did some dancing also. They are the talk of Oratoria and in heaven. You know the gods here have nothing better to do than gossip, don't you?"

Finn "Loki, sorry, we did not think it would get that much out of control"

Loki "So there is no magic involved. Riveria is happily on a romantic date with Hermes?"

Finn "Well, there is a bit more to it than that."

Loki "You better spit it out"

Tione "Hi this is Tione. Riveria is trying to get Hermes' help to train Bell so he can propose to Ais"

Loki "Oh it is for a good cause... WHATTTTTTTT?"

Loki "Ok, you people are beaming up to the moon right now"

After a few minutes of preparation, Finn, Gareth, Lefiya, Bete, Tiona and Tione beamed up to the moon, and Loki was there waiting for them.

Loki "What type of insane scheme is this"

Gareth "Loki, a lot has been between Bell and Ais. They need to get married"

Loki "OMG, is she pregnant?"

Finn "Not that we can be certain"

Loki "I should demote all of your back to level 1 for this, but I guess I will allow this"

Loki "What is Hermes going to do?"

Finn "Bell cannot get himself up to propose marriage. We tried to train him, but he faints even in practice. Hermes shown great skill in synchronization training, so ..."

Loki "I see and that sly old fox must have blackmailed Riveria to go on a date as a price"

Finn "Something like that"

Loki "Let's spy on them"

Loki activates a viewing portal showing Riveria and Loki still at their dinner table. Everyone gathers around to watch. Lefiya is red in the face and wants to beat Hermes. Loki suddenly starts ROTFLOL.

Loki "We need to record this so I can use it to blackmail Riveria hahahahahahahaha"

Finn "Loki, you know Riveria would kill us if we allow you to do that"

Loki "Finn, you do remember we are no longer on earth : ) "

Finn "oh yes" realizing Loki has her full powers available...

After about half an hour, they were done with dessert and went back onto the dancing area.

This time Loki, Tiona, Tione and Bete were all ROTFLOL, while Finn, Gareth and Lefiya were red in the face.

Finn "He got us real good..."

Gareth "Poor Riveria, next time she sees Loki"

After the dance, Riveria and Hermes appear ready to leave.

Loki "Ok, I am going to have my fun with Riveria. That means you cannot tell Riveria that I know. Understood?"

The familia members all nodded.

Loki "Good, I would hate to have to expose your plot otherwise"

After the threat was made, Loki beams them back to the same private room at the Loki home.

About another half an hour, Riveria is back home. Everyone noticed Riveria was blushing, but no one dared comment or ask about it. They made some small talk and all went to their rooms for the evening.

The next morning, Riveria gathered everyone and they all headed to the Hermes home. Hermes and Asif were waiting for them with coffee ready.

Hermes "Good morning Riveria. It is wonderful to see you"

Riveria gets red but sticks to business "Yes good morning. Are you ready to discuss training"

Hermes "Yes, we need to get Bell here so I can assess how bad it is"

Riveria "I already made arrangements. He should be here shortly once Ais is involved in a different matter"

A few minutes later, Bell and Lili knock on the door and are let in.

Hermes "So Bell, it is time to practice together again"

Bell "Uh oh, just like the synchronization training..."

Everyone else have nasty smirks on their faces waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Hermes: "Ok, ladies, get in line for the practice"

?

Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya and Lili sat down in chairs next to each other.

Hermes "Bell, you are going to propose to one after the other"

Bell tried, but blushes and faints after trying to propose to any of the gals.

Hermes "Wow, the boy needs serious help. Try that again"

For an hour, Bell keeps fainting with every try. Hermes made them try for another hour but again with no luck. After a lunch break, Hermes had them try again but Bell is still useless.

By mid afternoon, Hermes was getting annoyed and decided to change tactics.

Hermes "Ok, ladies this is too advanced for Bell. Lets try something else"

Hermes "Ok boys it is your turn, line up for Bell"

Gareth, Finn and Bete sat down in the chairs for Bell's training.

Hermes "Wait, Finn, you get on the far end. You are the toughest because you like a girl. Gareth, you should be the easiest so you sit on the closest seat. Bete, you only sort of look like a girl, so you sit in the middle."

In exchange for the cheap shots, Bete and Finn get angry and chase Hermes around for some punishment. After Hermes was hung upside down for 10 minutes, the training resumed starting with Gareth.

With Gareth, Bell did not blush or faint, but he starts giggling uncontrollably.

Hermes "Ok, this is not going to work. Lets start with Bete."

Hermes "Wait, Bete and Finn need to wear dresses"

Bete and Finn "Hermes, you want more?"

Hermes smiled "Do you want to help Bell or not?"

Riveria "Finn and Bete, it makes sense"

Tione "Yes Finn, go wear a miniskirt like the one Ais likes to wear, sexy"

Tiona "Bete, come on, sexy. And dont wag the tail too much" ROTFLOL

The blushing humiliated Finn and Bete had to put on dresses that look like Ais' dresses.

Hermes "Ok, now lets start with Betty"

Bete growls but puts up with the humiliation. Bell is able to get a little further but still faints before being able to say a word". After a couple tries, Hermes decided to switch to Finn. Unfortunately it was worse.

Hermes "Ok, this is where we need to work on. Tomorrow, we start with Betty. If Bell can do it with Betty, then we move to Finny"

With that the merry group adjourned. Up in heaven, Loki is watching and recording while ROTFLOL ...


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter 83 - Betty**

When Lili and Bell got home, Ais was already back.

Ais "Bell, where were you?"

Bell "Lili and I went practicing."

Ais "Oh, I want to go also."

Lili "Ok, that sounds fun..."

At the Loki home, Bete, Riveria, Finn, Gareth, Tiona, Tione and Lefiya were discussing Hermes' training.

Gareth "Wow I am off the hook"

Tione "Gareth, you are too manly unlike Finn there who is too feminine HAHAHAHAHHAHA"

Finn was pretty embarrassed "Tione, you will get your turn one day"

Tione "But you are so cuuuteeee"

Tiona "Bete, you think being quiet will save you from the teasing?"

Tiona pulls wolf ears while ROTFLOL

Bete "Tiona, you are going to get it"

Tiona "You are almost as feminine as Finn HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA"

Bete "GGGGGRRRRRR"

Even Riveria was laughing at Finn and Bete.

Finn "Riveria, even you are joining in on this"

Riveria "Well, it is pretty interesting situation"

Bete "This humiliation is worse than Hermes' antics during synchronization"

Tiona "Betty, but you were so cute on Bell's lap pillow HAHAHAHAHAHA"

Finn "Oh no, Loki is probably watching and enjoying herself silly".

Bete "Yes Loki needs punishment"

Riveria "She has her powers on the moon. She will simply wipe the floor with you"

Tiona "Betty's tail would make a good broom HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA"

Bete is grumbling but there is nothing he could say...

At the Hermes home, Asfi and Hermes were discussing the events. Suddenly Loki called in for Hermes.

Loki "That was priceless. I will share the recorded video with you but you need to outdo yourself tomorrow.

Hermes "Is that a challenge"

Loki "Yes"

Hermes "Alright, but I am outdoing myself based on your request"

Loki "I will take responsibility. Bete could use some more teasing"

Hermes "I agree there, and it is his turn first"

...

The next morning, Welf requested assistance from Bell and Ais for a security matter outside town. Ais agreed to helped, but Bell had to 'meet with Finn and Riveria' for dungeon maintenance matters. By the time Bell and Lili reached the Hermes home, everyone were already there.

Hermes "Bell, let's go practice so you can propose to the princess"

To his own disgust, Bete was already in the Ais-like dress. When Bell started to talk, Hermes stopped the action.

Hermes "Lili, did you bring Ais' perfume?"

Bete "No way!"

Hermes "Betty, you need to smell like Ais"

Tiona "Come on Betty, do you job!" pulling wolf ears some more.

The helpless Bete was subjected to a quick spray of perfume before the action resumed.

Despite Bell's best effort, he could not get the words out of his mouth.

Hermes "This is pathetic. Let's blindfold him"

The blindfolded Bell was able to say "Will... you... ... marry... me?"

Hermes "Alright, now lets do that 100 times. Say it and then stop for 1 minute and do it again"

After the 100 repetitions, Hermes added to the task.

Hermes "Ok, you need to hold each other's hand and then say it."

Bete "No more, this is too weird"

Tiona "Now Betty do you job"

Hermes "Betty, you need to cooperate for the greater good."

Bete "You do it"

Hermes "I am not feminine like you"

That was too much for Bete, and he chased Hermes around seeking revenge.

After Hermes was caught, 10 minutes of hanging upside down was the punishment before being freed by Finn and Riveria. Asfi did help Bete a bit to stall Riveria and Finn, as she said Hermes was deriving too much enjoyment out of his tasks.

After the brief punishment, training started again.

The blind-folded Bell had to hold hands with Bete before proposing.

Bell "Will... ... ... you... ... ... ... ... ... marry... ... ... me?"

Hermes "That was really pathetic. Repeat this 100 times but again wait 1 minute before each repetition"

After the repetition, Bell was still having trouble getting words out.

Hermes "After lunch, we need to do this another 100 times or 200 times until you get better at it."

...

They did have a leisurely lunch with lots of grilled meat. The lunch did put everyone in a better mood, as hoped by Hermes and Asif.

...

Hermes "Time to practice again until Bell gets it right"

For the rest of the day, Bell held Bete's hands and proposed while blindfolded.

By the end of the day, the stuttering got some what better.

Hermes "Tomorrow, the blindfold is taken off and we shall see how the prince proposes to Betty"

Bete growls softly but had nothing to say.

Hermes "Betty, good job and you are getting in touch of your feminine side. Great!"

By the time Bell and Lili got home, Ais was already back.

Ais "Bell, how did the meeting go."

Bell "It went ok. Looks like we are going to have to make a dungeon cleanup trip pretty soon"

Ais "Alright. Are we going out for dinner?"

...


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter 84 - No Way**

The next morning, Lili and Mikoto wanted to go shopping and they dragged Ais with them. Ais wanted to spend the day with Bell, but they did not give her much of a choice. With Ais occupied, Bell and Welf headed to the Hermes home.

Hermes "Time to practice with the blindfold off. Time to see how well Bell can propose to Betty"

Welf was amused by the entire matter, but when it got to Bell holding hands with Bete in a dress, Welf could not help himself from ROTFLOL anymore. To reduce the disruption, Welf was gagged and tied up.

Unfortunately, Bell could not get the words out without fainting.

Hermes "So this is the hairy edge at which we need to practice. Bell is going to faint a lot. Let's put some cushions on the floor so he does not bang his head."

Hermes "Well, Betty you are just too attractive so Bell cannot help himself"

Bete chased Hermes around the home and tied him up for more punishment.

After a short while, the training continued. By the end of the day, Bell could only say "will" before fainting...

...

The practice continued for days with very slow progress. There was only 1 day of break where Bell and Ais went to the house by the ocean to relax and play.

...

After about 1 week worth of practice, Bell made slow progress. He can finally sort of propose: "Will... ... ... you... ... ... ... ... ... marry... ... ... me?"

More practice was thus needed to improve his performance and in order to be able to propose within a reasonable timeframe. The others had their fill of fun. Welf was tied up too many times for laughing too loudly. Hermes was punished by Bete countless times for enjoying himself too much. Everyone was now associating Bete with Ais' perfume smell. They had to make multiple copies of the Ais-like dress for Bete.

Nevertheless, progress was clearly made as Bell as least can at least utter those words without fainting. However, Hermes indicated that the real Ais would be far more difficult so Bell has to get himself to say those words like second nature.

The practice went on all morning with a tea break. Everyone was still teasing Bete who tried to punish the offending parties. Welf had a particular good time and Tiona enjoyed pulling wolf ears.

Hermes "If Bell can perfect himself with Betty, then it will sexy petite Finny next"

The red-faced Finn knew his time was coming, but he knew he had to take the humiliation for Ais and the team...

Gareth laughed at the feminine Finn, grateful that his masculine looks spared him from the humiliation. Loki also called in to tease everyone and reminded them that they had to move quickly as Hestia is not yet aware of their conspiracy.

...

Lunch was grilled fresh fish from the ocean.

After lunch, practice continued and Bell was getting better and better.

Getting excited, Hermes "Do it like for real. Get on one knee and look in Betty's eyes"

Bell took a little while to gather himself

...

Bell gets on one knee, held Bete's paws, and looks in Bete's eyes and yelled out "Will you marry me"

Someone from the entrance to the room "No way!"

Everyone turns around and it was Ais!

The room got deadly quiet as no one knew what to do or say.

Bell was shocked "OMG, Ais said no..."


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter 85 - True Feelings**

After Bell got on one knee, held Bete's paws, and looked in Bete's eyes and yelled out "Will you marry me", Ais yelled "No way!" from the entrance to the room.

The room got deadly quiet while Bell was crying inside "OMG, Ais said no... She does not want to marry me..."

The room remained deadly quiet for a long long pause.

Ais walked towards Bell "I always had a suspicion you that like Bete!"

Ais then smelled her own perfume "How incredibly sick, Bete is wearing my perfume. Bete, I did not know you are that type"

Bete "They put that on me!"

Bell "Ais, this is not what you think!"

Ais "I saw the whole thing to myself! I am so shocked"

Bell "They were all trying to help me so I can propose to you! I kept fainting so they dressed Bete up like you for me to practice. I did not have the power to say - will you marry me"

Ais ROTFLOL "YES! ... hahahahahaha stupid hahahahahahahaha this is the most ridiculous scene I have ever seen hahahahahahaha"

Ais "Bete looks like the wolf who ate the little pigs hahahahahaha and he wore my dress hahahahahahaha"

Hermes "We got a yes, deal is done... Now Riveria you need to pay up"

Bete growls "Great, now even Ais is humiliating me"

Finn "Great, now Riveria, what did you promise Hermes?"

Gareth "I am scared"

Lefiya angrily growled "Hermes, do you know what a high elf means?"

Riveria "Well a deal is a deal" and gives Hermes a big kiss on the kisser...

Everyone in the room is shocked.

Hermes "Wow, high elf for dessert. Yummy. Bell, you think you can take back the proposal so we can do it again?"

Asif, Leifya, Ais, Tione and Tiona gagged and tied Hermes up and put him in the closet for punishment.

Finn "Well now that Hermes is taken care of, we need to have a celebration"

Bell "Lets go to the ocean cabin and have a cookout"

Ais "Bell, you first need to propose to me properly"

Bell got down on one knee, held Ais' hand "Ais, will you marry me? I do not know how to live without you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life"

Ais blushing bright red "Yes" and there was a tender kiss.

Everyone clapped. With that the entire gang headed to the ocean cabins. The entire Hestia familia was also summoned even though Lili and Mikoto failed in their Ais distraction task.

Welf "Bell, we finally made a honest man out of you. Now the argonaut screams are a-ok at the home hahahahahahaha"

Bell and Ais chased Welf for a long distance. The punishment was severe...

By the time they reached the ocean, it was starting to get dark. Fortunately, Tiona and Tione are great at fishing under low-light conditions. Others helped gather shellfish for the cookout. The food was good and they gathered around the fire in a big circle.

Unfortunately, Tione wanted to see Finn dressed up like Ais. Thus, poor Finn was mugged and had to wear the Ais-like dress with some Ais perfume in addition. Bell played along and proposed to Finn, who looked cute in Ais' clothes.

Bete "Finn, you look really cute"

Finn "Shut up"

Bete "I can get used to being on the other side"

Ais "I am jealous"

Welf "I want to propose to Finn! Finn smells so good"

Gareth "Finn, you have talent"

Finn "Shut up"

Riveria "Finn, you do look adorable"

Finn "Even you are getting in on this ... Why don't you go kiss Hermes instead?"

Riveria blushes and behaves...

Tione "So cute"

Finn "Tione, I hope you are happy"

Tione "Very!"

Lili then used Cinder Ella to change into Ais and sneaked next to Bell.

Lili (as Ais) winked "I want to play argonaut tonight"

Bell (embarrassed) "Let's not talk about that now"

Lili (as Ais) "Come on, you know you want to"

Bell (super-red) "Ais, stop that, it is embarrassing"

Lili (as Ais) "How about a big kiss?"

Ais (real one): "Bell, it is Lili!"

Bell looks at Lili "Wow, I can have twin-Ais, so nice"

Ais grabbed Bell by the ear and dragged him away from Lili. After the silliness, they then told stories about Bell's early adventures and also Ais' early adventures. Riveria also told the story about Ais' many pathetic and cute attempts to 'apologize' to Bell.

During the story telling, Loki called in to congratulate Bell and Ais. However everyone could hear Hestia's crying in the background. Hestia's voice could be heard "Bell-kun, how could you cheat on me. You need to come up to the moon tomorrow !"


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86 - Facing the Music**

With Bell expressing interest in having Ais' twin with Lili's Cinder Ella, Ais grabbed Bell by the ear and dragged him away from Lili. After the silliness, they then told stories about Bell's early adventures and also Ais' early adventures. Riveria also told the story how Ais' many pathetic and cute attempts to 'apologize' to Bell.

Bell wanted to hear more details about Ais' frustrated attempts and was particularly curious about the teasing the Riveria gave Ais after Bell running away again. Tiona and Tione were also surprised about how much was going on behind their backs, though they remembered how Ais came back frustrated and Riveria laughing at Ais' expense...

During Loki call to congratulate Bell and Ais, everyone could hear Hestia's crying in the background.

Bell "Oh, i better go up to the moon and explain"

Ais "Ok, you can go by yourself."

Bell "Yes it is probably better that way"

Tiona "Bete, you smell really good with Ais' perfume"

Bete "No way, never again"

Tiona and Tione winked at each other and it was on. The two jumped Bete, who was tied up.

Tiona "Bete's tail is fun to play with. I think it needs a haircut.

Bete "Tiona, you are going to get it"

Ais helped out and spray Bete with a little perfume"

Bete "Ais, when did you start partaking in this"

Ais "Girls' secret. I am also jealous that you got Bell's proposal first"

Finn "Bete, you like the attention hahahahaha"

Riveria "Bete does smell better now"

Gareth "It is refreshing. May be Bete does need a trim"

Tiona "Yes, the tail is too bushy"

Bete "You will pay for this torture!"

Hermes "This looks like fun. Betty you are the center of attention"

Bete growled at Hermes, who sniffed Ais' perfume "Wow, Betty you smell really nice"

Bete could take no more and used Hati to escape.

Everyone realized this is now a dangerous situation, so ran off away from Bete. After revenge was achieved, Bete ran off to bed, but everyone else were still recovering from the beating from Bete.

The next day, it was time for Bell to face the music on the moon.

After Bell got to the moon, Hestia was waiting.

Bell "Hi Hestia"

Hestia "So you still remember my name"

Bell "Come on Hestia, of course I do"

Hestia "You only care about Ais now"

Bell "Of course not"

Hestia "Well, I did promise Ais she can have you when you are on earth"

After that chat, they spent the rest of the day catching up and the dinner was special. As Bell headed back, Hestia reminded him teary-eyed that he belongs to her when he goes to heaven...

When Bell returned, Ais smiled at him "How did it go"

Bell "As well as could be expected"

Ais "I guess I better talk to Loki too"

Bell "LOL, you better. And we have to plan the wedding after".

Ais went to see Loki on the moon the next day, and Loki was in tears also. When they hugged, Loki was finally able to take full advantage. Ais jumped but Loki finally molested Ais for once like Lefiya.

Ais "Bad Loki cheated using divine powers."

Loki "Loki does bad well LOL"

With that, Ais returned to Bell to start planning the big wedding.

In order for Loki, Hestia, Njord and a number of gods to attend, there would be 2 weddings after 1 month - one in Orario and one on the moon. All the gods will attend the one on the moon as well as all their adventuring friends. The wedding in Orario would take place the next day and then there would be the honeymoon.

The best man would be Welf, with the groomsmen being Finn, Bete, Gareth, Takemikazuchi and Hermes.

The maid of honor would be Leifya with bridesmaids being Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Lily and Hestia.

Loki would walk Ais down the aisle to give away Ais while the ceremony would be performed by Zeus on the moon and Ouranos in Orario.

What Bell and Ais did not realize was the planning being conspired by Tiona and Welf for the wedding 'games'...


	87. Chapter 87

**Chapter 87 - The Big Event**

In order for Loki, Hestia, Njord, Ahti, Vellamo, Zeus, Hera and a number of gods to attend, there would be 2 weddings after 1 month - one in Orario and one on the moon. All the gods will attend the one on the moon as well as all their adventuring friends. The wedding in Orario would take place the next day and then there would be the honeymoon.

The month went by very quickly, as everyone was very busy preparing for the biggest wedding ever in Orario and the first ever on the moon. Even Bete got excited about the planning and forgot about the humiliation he suffered for the proposal practice. Tiona and Welf were very quietly conspiring for the wedding 'games', which would happen on the moon wedding night to avoid a major scandal from rumors of the deviant acts leaking to the public in Orario...

The day before the moon wedding, all the participants were sent to the moon to practice and party. The groomsmen and bridesmaids all took part in the practice, as did Zeus who will perform the ceremony and Loki who will walk Ais down the aisle. After arriving on the moon, Tiona and Welf quickly started putting their evil plans into action after arriving on the moon. After being briefed, Hestia was horrified at the entire concept but Loki was quite pleased with the scheme. Hermes, who was already in the planning, had his devilish grin and sparking eyes ready for mischief.

The wedding practice worked out quite well. Bell did not mess up the words and Welf played his best man role quiet well. Ais also did not mess up the words, and Lefiya also handled her maid of honor role admirably. The groomsmen (Finn, Bete, Gareth, Takemikazuchi and Hermes) and bridemaids (Riveria, Tiona, Tione, Lily and Hestia) also learned their jobs including where to take the guests and how to keep the guests under control without magic or threats. After practice, dinner was served and there was much rejoicing. Riveria and Tiona did manage to keep Bete from getting too drunk.

On the wedding day, all the bridesmaids helped Ais get dressed and fix her hair. Bell was all dressed up and ready for his big dsy, while Welf had his biggest happy grin for the occasion. The afternoon ceremony went without any mishaps as Zeus handled the vows while Welf and Leifya helped with the ring exchange. After the vows, Bell lifted the veil and kissed Ais properly for the occasion. Then it was onto the wedding banquet.

The banquet had too many courses to count, and the alcohol was freely flowing. Throughout the banquet, Bell and Ais welcomed and thanked their guests at each table, and performed the required kisses admirably well.

Loki showed some recordings during the banquet. To show how much Riveria went through to enlist Hermes' help with Bell's proposal, she showed the date Riveria had with Hermes. Then the tape of Bell practicing the proposal with Bete and Fin was shown. The entire banquet was roaring with laughter with Bell's nervousness. No one would have thought the world's hero would be so helpless when it came to proposing. Fin and Bete were also quite embarrassed about their appearance in the Ais dresses. Ais though was quite pleased with Bell's practices and wanted her own copy of the recordings.

As the main courses were finished, it was time for the wedding cake cutting and for Welf and Tiona to shine. During the cake cutting, Welf and Tiona got up and started the mischief. The co-conspirators were also at the ready.

Welf "Hi everyone, besides being the best man, I was also selected to be your host for the wedding games, along with the beautiful game hostess Tiona."

Tiona "Yes everyone, let's give a hand to the happy couple Ais and Bell"

With the applause, Bell and Ais looked shocked but did not know what to say.

Welf "Bell and Ais, could you come here and be the good sports you always are and have some fun with us?"

Tiona "Everyone, please give the happy couple some encouragement to come play the wedding games with us"

As the guests clapped, Bete, Riveria, Hestia, Loki, Finn, Gareth, Tione, Lili all came up to Bell and Ais to 'guide' them to a couple chairs in front of the guest tables. The helpless couple knew they are in big trouble, but could not figure out how to escape. Ais thought about Ariel but realized it would not be appropriate, and Bell could not charge argonaut either given the circumstances. Hermes also winked at them and nonchalantly mentioned divinity powers are not restricted on the moon...

Welf "Bell and Ais, for the first game, we would be asking you some questions. Loki-sama and Hestia-sama would be assisting here to make sure you tell us the truth about your loving relationship!"

Tiona "First question, Ais, which part of Bell is the most attractive to you"

Ais "... his hair"

Loki "Lie"

Welf "Come on Ais, you are among friends who want to know!"

Ais "... ... Bell is very handsome"

Loki "Well Bell is very handsome but you need to tell us what is the most attractive"

Blushing Ais "I CANNOT SAY"

Tiona "Come on Ais, share with your friends"

Super-blushing Ais "Bell, help!"

Hestia came up to Bell "Even though we all love my Bell-kun and all know about his heroic feats, Bell's argonaut charging will not be allowed for now"

Bell "Kami-sama..."

Welf "Well Ais, you still need to tell us"

Tiona "Come on Ais, share with us, what is the most attractive part"

Loki "You must tell us, my child"

After more pressure, the defeated Ais finally gave in "His argonaut part"

Welf "Wow..."

Tiona was embarrassed and the crowd did not know what to say.

Welf "Well, now Bell, what is Ais' best and most attractive part and Hestia-sama is going to help us here"

Bell "Ais is perfect. She is all perfect"

Hestia "Bell-kun, you have a better answer"

Red-faced Bell "Kami-sama, have mercy"

Hestia "Bell-kun darling, you wanted to get married, you have a real answer"

Super-embarrassed Bell on his knees "Come on, Kami-Sama"

Hestia "Child, tell us your real answer"

Defeated Bell "Milkers"

Tiona while ROTFLOL "Ais, is Bell still innocent?

Ais "of course"

Loki "answer the real question"

Ais horrified "aaaa..."

Tomato-faced Bell "Not fair!"

Tiona "Tell us the truth"

Ais "... no"

Welf "Bell, when did you lose your innocence?"

Bell "When I met you"

Hestia "Nice try, but tell us the truth"

Bell "i don't remember"

Shocked Ais "You don't remember?"

Bell "Of course I remember!"

Hestia winked "So when was it, lover boy?"

Bell "This is not fair!"

Hestia "When?"

Bell "We had a pure relationship until Finn and Riveria gave us the book of the birds and the bees".

Shocked, everyone demanded Finn and Riveria explain themselves...


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter 88 - Birds and Bees**

During cake cutting, the wedding games started, led by Welf, Tiona, Loki and Hestia. After admitting to their favorite body parts of each other, Ais and Bell had to answer the uber-embarrassing of lost innocence. When the question came to when innocence was lost, Bell's answer shocked the crowd. Everyone demanded that Finn and Riveria explain themselves about giving the couple a book about the birds and the bees.

Hestia "Tell us the circumstances that this book was given"

Bell "It was after our last victory celebration. They said it was a gift but don't open it before going to sleep."

Hestia "What was exactly in this book"

Bell "It was about the birds and the bees"

Hestia "Did it have pictures?"

Bell "Yes"

Hestia "Was it a how to book"

Bell "...Sort of", making the crowd grasp.

Loki "Finn, the captain, can do such a thing! And you call me perverted!"

Hestia "I cannot believe this!"

Riveria "We were just trying to give Ais the basic information that any parent would give their child"

Finn "Besides, they shared a tent and were together for months. We just wanted Ais to know the basics."

Riveria "Besides, Hermes' sychronization training was pretty explicit"

The crowd then wanted to know what sychronization training entailed.

Hermes "We had to extend Bell's resistance to the main team, so feelings had to be built up between Bell and all members of the team"

The crowd was not very satisfied with the explanation, but decided it was for the general good and had to be done. They were also worried what other skeletons were going to come out of the closet about the hero team that saved the world. With that, Welf and Tiona decided the question-answering game is finished.

Welf "Well, now we are starting the second game - it is a fertility ritual to ensure the happy couple provides us future heroes to protect the world."

Finn whispered to Riveria and Gareth "This sounds bad."

Hestia and Loki looked at each other and also got worried about what is to come next.

Welf gets Bell and Ais to stand up facing the crowd, while Tiona is holding something behind her back.

Tiona "This ritual celebrates a successful and fertile union between the happy couple."

Welf "Yes, Ais, Tiona is going to give you this egg as the vehicle of fertility"

Tiona "Ais will pass the egg through the Bell's left pant leg. The egg will be guided through the pant leg to the top and then back down through Bell's right leg."

As blushing Ais kneels down to perform the tasks, Loki uses a little magic to tighten up Bell's pants to spice up things a bit. Bell realized what Loki did but was powerless to protect himself.

Ais had a great deal of trouble getting the egg up the pant leg. The crowd was laughing, clapping and cheering heartily the entire time, while Welf and Tiona provided 'encouragement' for Ais. After about 5 minutes, the egg made it up the pant leg. However, the tight pants made it impossible to get the egg inside the pants from the left leg side to the right leg side.

Welf "Ais, you need to get it to the other side"

Tiona "Ais, why cant you do it"

Ais "The pants are too tight"

Welf ROTFLOL "Bell, is argonaut acting up?"

Tiona ROTFLOL "Ais, dont make argonaut go off!"

Bell "Welf, wait till your turn!"

Welf "Well, I may as well enjoy now and worry later"

Ais "Bell, I cannot get it through"

Bell decided that the only way was to loosen his pants, which he did in front of the entire crowd.

Hestia "Don't show too much. It is indecent exposure!"

Bell "Oh, this is worse than the dragon"

After Bell loosened his pants, Ais was able to move the egg through to the other side. Then getting the egg down the right pant leg went smoothly. Having completed the task, Ais and Bell were too relieved and exhausted to be embarrassed any more.

Welf "Well the happy couple has completed their fertility task"

Tiona "May this be a happy and productive union!"

That wrapped up the wedding games for the banquet. The banquet was also finished at that point, and the crowd was thinning and returning home.

Bell and Ais had a honeymoon suite on the moon, and they were so relieved that they lie down face-up on the bed for a while talking about what happened.

Suddenly, the door opened and in came the Hestia familia and the senior execs of the Loki familia, along with Loki and Hestia, all with evil smiles on their faces. Welf declared that the 2nd and more intimate phase of the wedding games will now commence to ensure a productive union.


	89. Chapter 89

**Chapter 89 - Private Games**

After the wedding banquet, Bell and Ais were resting on the bed lying face-up from the exhausting day. Suddenly. the door opened and in came the Hestia familia and the senior execs of the Loki familia, along with Loki and Hestia, all with evil smiles on their faces. Welf declared that the 2nd and more intimate phase of the wedding games will now commence to ensure a productive union.

Bell "What is going on?

Welf "This is the private part of the wedding games, familia only!"

Bell "Welf, pay back is going to hurt!"

Tiona "Bell and Ais, there will only be 2 games, and then we will leave you love birds to your special moments"

Ais "Bell, save me, my hero"

Loki "Don't worry, baby princess, you are in good hands"

Welf "The first game will just get us into the mood, and make sure you are well-fed to give you lots of energy"

At that point, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Lily and Haruhime started spreading pieces of fruit on top of Ais' dress. To top it off, whipped cream was spread on the fruit.

Welf "Ok, Bell, let's make sure you have enough energy for tonight. So feast away but savor every bite! And you cannot use your hands. Mouth only!"

Resigned to their fate, Bell did not resist or protest, but just started to eat the fruit and whipped cream. The job was very messy as Bell was not allowed to use his hands to manuever and had to crawl around like a worm. Apparently the entire operation was quite ticklish as Ais was giggling the entire time.

Ais "Hurry and finish up, this tickling is torture"

Loki "Princess, enjoy it, unless you want me to help Bell out?"

Ais "No way!"

Mikoto and Riveria were more bashful about the games and could barely look while the tickle torture was going on. Bete, Gareth and Finn were amazed how creative Welf and Tiona were about the entire event. After the giggling was over, Welf wiped Bell's face and nose with a towel to clean off the whipped cream

Hestia "Bell-kun darling, was it good?"

Bell "I am really really full now."

At that point, it was time for the 2nd and final game. Bell and Ais were overcome with doom but were powerless to resist, as Loki and Hestia both had access to their full powers.

Welf "Now is time for the finale. Let's move them into position and cover them with the blanket."

The whole gang helped out as Bell and Ais were moved to their sleeping position on the bed but still both face up with the blanket on top.

Tiona "To kickoff Bell and Ais' wedding night, each of you can ask for one item of clothing."

Bell and Ais "OMG"

Finn and Riveria quickly volunteered to request the most innocuous items. Finn got the dinner jacket and Riveria got Ais' shawl. Mikoto and Gareth also quickly got into the mix asking for Bell's socks and Ais' leggings. At that point, the stakes were raised, and Lili asked for Bell's shirt while Haruhime got Bell's belt.

At that point, Ais was begging for her life, and Bell was also begging for mercy. But there was no mercy to be had.

Hestia "Bell-kun darling, we must ensure succession of the next generation of heroes."

Loki "Princess, I have been waiting for this for a long time!"

Thus, the games continued.

Hestia got Bell's pants, while Loki got Ais' dress.

Bell "There is nothing left!"

Welf "Do you want me to verify that?"

Ais "NOOOOO!"

While giggling, Welf, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Weine and Lefiya request the under-garments and fought over them as victory souvenirs.

Bell "Welf and Tiona, you have set the bar really high for your wedding. You do know that"

Tiona "Yes, that is why we are enjoying as much as we can now!"

Welf and Tiona "Well the happy couple has been properly prepared, so we should let Bell do his job to ensure the succession of the line of heroes"

Loki "Children, when your children grow up, tell them aunty Loki has recordings of your wedding games!"

Completely defeated, Bell and Ais had no more fight left.

With their souvenirs, the merry gang wished them a happy wedding night and left the honeymoon suite.

Bell "Ais, are you ok?"

Ais "I am ok. I guess it was kind of exciting"

Bell "Yes it was, but I will not let Welf and Tiona have any satisfaction"

Ais "Is this going to repeat itself in the wedding in Orario"

Bell "Let's hope not. They will probably be more cautious to prevent scandals and rumors from going out of control in Orario."

Ais nodded in agreement. Completely exhausted, they hugged and quickly fell asleep. They will need their rest for the VIP wedding in Orario.

It would probably be the most anticipated outdoor celebration in their generation...


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter 90 - The Event**

With the close of the familia wedding games, the merry gang fought over the couple's clothes for their souvenirs. Afterwards, the exhausted, Ais and Bell quickly fell asleep while hugging.

The next morning, everyone left for Orario for the main wedding, which is the most anticipated outdoor celebration in anyone's memory. The victorious hero and his beautiful lady will tie the knot in front of the whole city with Ouranos performing the ceremony outside near the Babel. Everyone is welcomed and the Xenos are coming also. Just in case of an emergency, a several members of the Ganesha familia would stand guard at the dungeon entrance.

This wedding was far more fancy as Ais was in a beautiful white wedding dress and Bell in his fancy tux. Welf is the best man, but Lefiya is the maid of honor instead of Tiona did in the moon. The crowd was enormous and there were many signs for the Little Rookie and the Sword Princess. The ceremony took place on a platform built just for the occasion so everyone can view. Mirrors were deployed everywhere for even better views for everyone. From the moon, Hestia and Loki watch with tears in their eyes again.

In the early afternoon, Ais and Bell again said their vows flawlessly, and Welf and Lefiya performed their ring tasks without a hitch. After the ceremony, Ais and Bell got on Wiene who gave them a flyover for the crowd to see. Instead of landing, Ais and Bell went on ariel to fly to the top the Babel to wave to the crowd.

Afterwards, food was being served all over the area around the Babel. During the outdoor picnic banquet, there were a number of entertaining events. First, censored versions of Loki's recordings were played showing Bell proposing to Ais as well as Bell's practice proposal to Bete. Then there was also a censored version of the wedding games led by Finn and Riveria instead of the naughty Welf and Tiona.

Finn "Bell, please tell us the first time you met Ais"

Bell "Well I was in the 5th level as a new adventurer. Suddenly a minotaur attacked me and I thought I was dead. But suddenly this beautiful golden haired angel came and saved me."

Riveria "What did you think of Ais at that time"

Bell "I was completely in love and wanted to be worthy of standing next to her"

Finn "Ais, what did you think of Bell when you first met him"

Ais "I thought Bell looked like a cute white rabbit"

Riveria "Any feelings of love at that time"

Ais "I did not know what love is. But as I met Bell more, the feelings got stronger and I finally realized what those feelings meant"

Finn "Bell, when was your first date with Ais"

Bell "Well that is hard to say, but Ais showed me Rivira on my first trip to the 18th floor."

Riveria "Bell, tell us more about your trip to the 18th floor"

Bell "Well, I was with Lili and Welf on our first trip to the mid levels, and had to escape to the 18th level. We fainted when we reached the 18th floor, and Ais had to save us again."

Finn "Wow, how many times did Ais save you"

Bell "Once with the minotaur, once when I was ambushed by orcs, once on the 18th floor."

Riveria "Wow, you were saved by Ais so many times. How did you catch up to Ais"

Bell "I knew I wanted to catch up the 1st time I met Ais. That is what drove me to work hard"

Finn "Ais, when did you realize you loved Bell"

Ais "Thinking back, Bell was really shy when we first met. He kept running away from me when we ran into each other. I got very frustrated when that happened. I now realize what those feelings were, and that I was falling for Bell. But the event that was the most inspiring was when Bell defeated the black minotaur as a level 1. I was going to handle the black minotaur for him, but Bell insisted on being on his 1st adventure. He was totally overpowered by the black minotaur, but his will would not let him lose. I think that was the spark that did it for me."

Riveria "Tell us more about how Bell was running away from you"

Ais "When I saved Bell from the 1st minotaur, he ran away afterwards. When I saved Bell from the orcs, he also ran away. It was really frustrating when I was curious about him, but he kept on running away and ignoring me"

Finn "Bell, was the running away some type of strategy to get Ais interested in you"

Bell "No, I was just shy and embarrassed that I had to be saved."

Riveria "I told you how upset Ais was when you went away. She came home in a sad mood when the boy she liked ran away"

Bell "Yes, I understand that now, but I had no idea how she felt."

Finn "Ais, when did Bell stop running away"

Ais "Eina helped arranged a conversation. At that point, we started training together"

Riveria "Tell us about training with Bell"

Ais "Bell learned so quickly that it was hard to believe. He worked hard and practiced all the time. It seemed that he learned in one practice what I would learn in a week. Tiona also noticed the same results when we trained with Bell. As most of you know, Bell caught up in less than 1 year. It was an amazing incredible experience."

Finn "Bell, yes, we all remember how you became level 5 in 5 months and the hero who won the war in less than 1 year. Was this all because of Ais"

Bell "I worked hard because I loved Ais. Also all my friends and the need to protect Orario"

Riveria "Bell, what are your plans going forward"

Bell "Ais and I will continue to live in Orario at the Hestia home to build our family. We will continue to work as part of the Hestia familia to protect the city and patrol the dungeon. We will also work more to map all corners of the world to find new friends as well as deter potential dangers."

At that point, Ouranos and the other gods got up to cheer and thank Bell and Ais for their service to Orario.

Ouranos "Bell and Ais, we wish you the best health, success and happiness."

Hestia and Loki appeared in an image in the sky at that point.

Teary Hestia "Bell and Ais, you two mean so much to me and I want to wish you much happiness"

Teary Loki "Princess and Rookie, have a great Honeymoon. And we are all expecting the next generation of heroes from the 2 of you!"

Amidst the cheering from the crowd, the banquet was concluded. Bell and Ais went to say thanks to all their friends and headed out for their honeymoon...


	91. Chapter 91

Dear Readers,

Thank you for reading my stories. With the conclusion of the wedding arc, I have not decided what to do next. Is this the conclusion or do I have more of a story to tell? There may a few short chapters with a time skip etc. For now, I have a new idea that I want to write about, 'the kiss'.

I also enjoy some of your fanfics!

WT


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